Friday came with a new wave of gas news. The first development followed mixed messages from the new administration of caretaker Prime Minister Galab Donev and the ICGB company that manages the Greek-Bulgaria gas link (IGB). After a meeting at the Presidency with the owner and management of the construction company building the gas interconnection with Greece - Avax and the contracting company for the construction - ICGB, caretaker Energy Minister Rosen Hristov announced that commercial quantities of natural gas should already be flowing through the pipeline by 1 October.
The second notable gas-related story is that Bulgartransgaz announced three tenders for a total value of almost 518 million BGN related to the expansion of the Chiren gas storage. And lastly
Energy regulator approves 60% price hike in natural gas prices for August
The Energy and Water Regulatory Commission (KEVR) officially approved the price of natural gas for August at 297.89 BGN/MWh (about 152 euro/MWh), excluding prices for access, transmission, excise duty and VAT, the regulator's press service said on Friday. KEVR thus confirmed the price requested by the state-owned supplier Bulgargaz, who asked for the 60 percent hike for the sale of natural gas to final suppliers of natural gas and to persons who have been issued a license for production and transmission of heat earlier this month. Despite the significant increase, gas in Bulgaria remains lower than prices on the European gas exchanges due to the significantly cheaper deliveries from Azerbeijan - on the largest gas hub TTF they marked a new historical growth and reached over 212 euro/MWh.
Delyan Peevski challenges Magnitsky act sanctions in US court
US lawyers hired by former MRF MP and media mogul Delyan Peevski filed a lawsuit on 6 August, attacking what they consider "unjustified" sanctioning of their client over corruption. They also demanded access to information on what data was collected against him and how this was done.
The lawsuit was filed on behalf of the former MRF lawmaker and six of his companies, which were singled out in last year's decision under the Global Magnitsky Act of 2016 authorizing the U.S. government to sanction foreign government officials involved in large scale corruption by the State Department and the US Treasury Department. The suit does not challenge the substance of the acts of the sanctioned person and his companies, but the nature of the administrative actions of the two departments, Dnevnik.bg writes. The lawsuit, filed in a D.C. metropolitan court by the law firm Morgan, Lewis & Bockius, is against Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, the two departments they lead and several other agencies.
Average monthly salary reaches 1,710 BGN as of the end of July: NSI
Average monthly wage growth in Bulgaria accelerated in the second quarter of the year. In April-June, it grew by 13.4 percent year-on-year and by 7.8 percent compared to the previous three months, according to preliminary data of the National Statistical Institute (NSI) published on Friday. The average gross monthly wage for April 2022 is 1,771 BGN, for May - 1,708 BGN and for June - BGN 1,710, or 875 euro, according to the national statistics.
Friday came with a new wave of gas news. The first development followed mixed messages from the new administration of caretaker Prime Minister Galab Donev and the ICGB company that manages the Greek-Bulgaria gas link (IGB). After a meeting at the Presidency with the owner and management of the construction company building the gas interconnection with Greece - Avax and the contracting company for the construction - ICGB, caretaker Energy Minister Rosen Hristov announced that commercial quantities of natural gas should already be flowing through the pipeline by 1 October.
The second notable gas-related story is that Bulgartransgaz announced three tenders for a total value of almost 518 million BGN related to the expansion of the Chiren gas storage. And lastly
