Southeast Europe’s Search For Natural Gas Supplies

Late last month Moscow stopped gas exports to two “unfriendly countries” that refused to be bullied into paying with rubles: Bulgaria and Poland. The Balkans are now looking for alternative suppliers. High on the shortlist is Azerbaijan. But can the Caucasus nation deliver, and when? Bulgaria says it does not expect shortages. Before Russia invaded Ukraine and sent Europe’s energy markets into a tizzy, Sofia had signed a deal to import 1 billion cubic meters (bcm) per year of Azerbaijani gas through the Southern Gas Corridor (SGC),…