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### Viewing cable 09SOFIA696, BULGARIA PREPARES TO ANSWER RUSSIA ON ENERGY

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Reference ID | Created | Released | Classification | Origin
--- | --- | --- | --- | ---
09SOFIA696 | 2009-12-09 15:20 | 2011-04-29 12:00 | CONFIDENTIAL | Embassy Sofia
Appears in these articles: http://www.bivol.bg/wlbelene.html http://www.capital.bg/politika_i_ikonomika/bulgaria/2011/04/29/1082317_mrusna_energiia/ http://wlcentral.org/node/1722

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    VZCZCXRO1427
    OO RUEHDBU RUEHFL RUEHKW RUEHLA RUEHNP RUEHROV RUEHSL RUEHSR
    DE RUEHSF #0696/01 3431520
    ZNY CCCCC ZZH
    O 091520Z DEC 09
    FM AMEMBASSY SOFIA
    TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 6530
    INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
    RUEAIIA/CIA WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
    RUCPDOC/DEPT OF COMMERCE WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
    RHEBAAA/DEPT OF ENERGY WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
    RHEHAAA/NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY

` `

    C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 SOFIA 000696

    SIPDIS

    FOR SPE MORNINGSTAR
    DOE FOR ELKIND, CUTLER, EKIMOFF

    E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/07/2019
    TAGS: ENRG ECON PREL PGOV BU
    SUBJECT: BULGARIA PREPARES TO ANSWER RUSSIA ON ENERGY
    PROJECTS

    REF: SOFIA 674

    Classified By: CDA Susan Sutton for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d).

    ¶1.  (C)  Summary:  The Prime Minister, President and Energy
    Minister briefed SPE Morningstar December 4 on changes in the
    Bulgarian energy sector and preparations for the next round
    of Bulgarian-Russian intergovernmental economic committee
    meetings.   The Russian delegation, led by Energy Minister
    Schmatko, will arrive December 10 and expects to hear the new
    Bulgarian government's intentions on three large-scale energy
    projects to which the last government commited Bulgaria.
    Bulgarian officials told SPE Morningstar that Bulgaria will
    continue to pursue the South Stream gas pipeline, is still
    studying the Burgas-Alexandroupolis oil pipeline and will
    open a new tender for strategic investors for the now-frozen
    Belene Nuclear Power Plant project.  Knowing they will be
    dependent on Russian energy sources for the foreseeable
    future and cannot rely on a common EU energy policy to
    protect their interests, the Bulgarians will stay engaged
    with Moscow while pursuing alternatives in the form of
    Nabucco, interconnectors, CNG/LNG possibilities and nuclear
    fuel diversification.  End Summary.

    ¶2.  (C)  In a series of meetings with Bulgarian officials,
    businesses, energy experts and foreign diplomats December 4,
    SPE Morningstar commended the new government for its
    concerted efforts to bring greater diversification and
    transparency to the notoriously-opague energy sector.  He
    urged the Prime Minister and President to continue Bulgaria's
    outreach to Southern Corridor gas producers and Turkey to
    secure progress on Nabucco.  He suggested that Bulgaria work
    more closely with like-minded EU member states in the region
    to ensure EU energy policy protected CEE country interests.
    SPE Morningstar stressed the need for continued work on
    regional interconnectors, diversification in the nuclear
    sector, including the use of alternative nuclear fuel and
    spent fuel storage capabilities, and efforts to promote
    greater transparency in the energy sector.

    THE RUSSIANS ARE COMING
    -----------------------

    ¶3.  (C)  The Bulgarians described their strategy ahead of the
    arrival to Sofia of Russian Energy Minister Schmatko's
    delegation December 10.  Energy Minister Traykov stated there
    will be no surprises in Bulgaria's announcement about Sofia's
    participation in Russian-led energy projects.  Bulgaria will
    continue to pursue South Stream, as this pipeline has become
    "a European project" and lessens Bulgaria's dependence on
    Ukraine as a transit country.  Bulgaria still has
    environmental and other concerns about the
    Burgas-Alexandroupolis oil pipeline, so will call for
    additional studies on this project before making an
    investment decision.  The Belene Nuclear Power Plant is
    currently frozen, having lost its strategic investor (RWE).
    To avoid "kill costs" and keep Moscow reasonably content,
    Traykov said Bulgaria will, reluctantly, open a new tender in
    an attempt to attract outside investors to the beleaguered
    project.  Once the Russians leave, Bulgaria will continue to
    work on diversification and reform of the energy sector.  He
    said Bulgaria is ready to move forward with a pilot
    relationship with the Extractive Industries Transparency
    Initiative, as one way to increase transparency in Bulgaria's
    gas transit sector.

    PRESIDENT STRESSES SOUTHERN CORRIDOR OUTREACH
    ---------------------------------------------

    ¶4.  (C)  President Parvanov, who led Bulgarian energy policy
    under the previous government, detailed his continued
    outreach to southern corridor energy producers, including
    recent visits to Sofia by the Presidents of Turkmenistan and
    Azerbaijan.  He noted that Bulgaria has agreements to buy gas
    from both countries, but lamented the lack of alternatives to
    access the agreed-upon quantities.  He urged continued USG
    efforts to secure a Turkish transit agreement with Azerbaijan
    and described Bulgarian plans for a hook-up to the TGI
    pipeline and a joint Azerbaijan-Bulgarian study of taking
    compressed natural gas across the Black Sea via tanker.
    Parvanov expressed concern about Nabucco, saying that South
    Steam was becoming ever dominant, with Gazprom's proposal to
    increase the project's capacity to 63 bcm and the recent

    SOFIA 00000696  002 OF 002

    Turkish agreement on South Stream's route.

    PM RAILS AGAINST EU DISUNITY; SEEKS MORE US ENGAGEMENT
    --------------------------------------------- ---------

    ¶5.  (C)  A clearly frustrated Prime Minister Borissov used
    his time with SPE Morningstar to rail against EU disunity in
    the face of Russian energy dominance, particularly in this
    region.  Borissov complained that the EU was holding up
    funding for proposed interconnectors with Greece and Romania
    (the Bulgarians heard later in the day the EU would fund
    those projects) and that small, energy dependent EU member
    states were held hostage to the energy ambitions of Italy,
    France and Germany.  He lamented that Bulgaria, the poorest
    EU member state, was still a net-contributor to the EU,
    causing a rise of Euro-skepticism in the country.  He also
    urged more U.S. engagement in Bulgaria to show that Bulgarian
    efforts on Afghanistan, missile defense and other priorities
    are appreciated and rewarded.  In particular, he called for
    inclusion of Bulgaria into the US Visa Waiver Program (a real
    sore point with the new government) and asked us to use USG
    good offices with the EU to support Bulgaria's inclusion into
    ERM-II and the Eurozone (something he described as
    "absolutely free" for the United States (reported septel)).
    He noted that the Russian presence in Bulgaria is growing
    ever stronger, with continued state-sponsored cultural
    events, high-level visits and offers of investment.  His
    government, he said, was trying to make the right decisions
    -- on rule of law, our security relationship, transparency,
    and energy diversification, but to pull this off, Bulgaria
    needs more attention, engagement and support from both
    Brussels and Washington.  SPE Morningstar agreed and promised
    to raise the PM's concerns in Washington.

    ¶6.  (C)  Comment:  The Bulgarians will play it safe when the
    Russians come to town December 10.  Knowing they will be
    dependent on Russian gas for years to come (and being in the
    middle of long-term gas supply contract negotiations) the
    Bulgarians can't afford to kill all of the Russian-dominated
    projects agreed to by the last government.  Nor do they want
    to.  Sofia sees increasing value in South Stream as lessening
    its dependence on Ukraine as a transit country.   The
    government wants to be rid of Belene, but believes it will be
    too costly -- either in contractual kill costs or fall-out
    with Russia -- to let the project die at this time.  Once the
    Russians leave, we should up our engagement with the clearly
    frustrated Prime Minister, who is making tough decisions on
    everything from rule of law to energy, but feeling little
    support from outside partners.

    ¶7.  (U)  SPE Morningstar cleared this message.
    SUTTON

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