Ivan Hinovski: In the region of Lovech and Vratsa regions there are significant amounts of natural gas reserves

Northwestern Bulgaria has 480 billion cubic meters of natural gas. This is stated in a report by an American company that studied the possibilities for shale gas production in our country. This was explained to BTV by Ivan Hinovski - a former MP from "There is such a people" and chairman of the Bulgarian Energy and Mining Forum, in the show "120 minutes". According to the report from 2011, the deposits are in the Etropole Formation in Northwestern Bulgaria, in the region of Lukovit, Uglen, Peshtene, Vratsa region. However, this report has been hidden for a long time.

"In 2011 the company filed a report under a research contract with the Ministry of Energy, silence, and suddenly in 2012, under pressure from green NGOs, Bulgaria imposed a moratorium on shale gas exploration and production.

This information has raised very serious concerns in Bulgaria's largest gas supplier, Gazprom. "This was alarming information, and I have my own information that Gazprom has made Bulgaria completely dependent on Russian gas," Hinovski said.

In 2012, after this moratorium, the Energy Committee of the National Assembly was inclined to reject it, he explained. "20 minutes before the meeting of the commission, some lists began to be distributed and the chairman of the commission Martin Dimitrov said in embarrassment - We accept the request for a moratorium. Very surprising, at the last minute. I have a feeling that these were some maneuvers. I have the feeling that these were some maneuvers, foreign policy, "said the expert.

According to him, after the adoption of the moratorium in 2012, a request was made to the American company to revise the forecast and instead of shale mining, to give a forecast for conventional mining. The company revised the report and gave the figure of 86 billion cubic meters. "There has been silence for 2 years and the answer is that there is no evidence of the profitability of this extraction of this natural gas. It is scandalous. The company that offers extraction says that it is profitable and it submits a report on geological discovery with the second phase - mining concession. She offers it, and the ministry says - no, it is not profitable. There is no logic in this decision, "Hinovski said.

We remind you that in the mentioned period the concession for exploration of natural gas deposits in the region was held by the company "Direct Petroleum" - Bulgaria. The company was a subsidiary of US-based TransAtlantic Petroleum and was licensed to conduct shale gas exploration on 2,300 square kilometers near Lovech and 648 square kilometers near Koynare. Commercial exploitation of the deposits did not occur after the explorations.