Financial Times: Energy: Pipeline tie-in reinforces fears of reliance on Russian supply

Bulgaria spent four decades under Soviet domination. Now, even as a EU member, it is still struggling to reduce reliance on Russia in one key area: energy. It still gets the bulk of its natural gas from Russia. Bulgaria’s biggest oil refinery at Burgas is owned, after a 1999 privatisation, by Russia’s Lukoil. And its sole nuclear power station, Kozloduy, is Soviet-built.

Sofia last month took a step that appeared to strengthen its energy ties with Russia, by agreeing to build part of the Gazprom-led South Stream pipeline, which will run across the Black Sea and through the Balkans to central Europe, across its territory.  MORE