Bulgaria wants to renegotiate its gas supply contracts with Russian energy giant OAO Gazprom (GAZP.RS), cutting out the middlemen and securing strict supply guarantees, state-owned Bulgargaz said Tuesday.
Bulgargaz chief executive Dimitar Gogov was quoted by the state BTA news agency as saying that talks on the new contracts could start as early as Wednesday when Bulgarian President Georgy Parvanov is scheduled to travel to Moscow on a three-day official visit.
"We would negotiate to have our gas delivered by one supplier," Gogov told the news agency.
Bulgaria currently receives its gas from Russia via three of Gazprom's subsidiaries and thus has three delivery contracts expiring between 2010 and 2012.
Bulgaria would seek to sign new contracts directly with Gazprom for a period of at least 10 years, Gogov said.
"In the way that we must provide guarantees on payment, we want the Russian side to provide guarantees that they will fulfill the supply contracts strictly," he said.
Bulgaria was among the worst-hit by the recent gas pricing row between Russia and Ukraine, which left much of Europe without vital supplies for two weeks during Arctic winter temperatures.
The Balkan country receives almost all of its gas from Russia via Ukraine and has no access to any alternative gas sources or routes.
Gogov estimated that Bulgargaz's direct losses from the cut-off amounted to EUR15.5 million. But additional losses - suffered by companies that failed to receive their gas - could amount to as much as EUR40 million.
Sofia has already sought compensation from Gazprom in the form of direct compensation, lower supply prices or free access to Russia's gas network.
But during a visit to the Bulgarian capital last month, Gazprom's deputy chief executive Alexander Medvedev rejected such proposals, saying his company was not liable.
During the two-week crisis, Gazprom failed to deliver to Bulgaria a total of 123 million cubic meters of gas.