Azerbaijan has temporarily halted its contracted natural gas supply to Bulgaria following a technical issue at BP's Alpha platform in the Shah Deniz gas field.
The suspension, which lasted from January 7 to January 11, did not disrupt the regional natural gas market, as alternative supplies from Turkey’s Botas stepped in to meet demand.
Bulgargaz, Bulgaria’s state-owned gas company, confirmed that the incident incurred no additional costs for replacement gas. In a statement, the company stressed the importance of diversifying natural gas sources to mitigate such risks in the future.
The outage originated from a problem in the subsea condensate export line, prompting BP Azerbaijan to shut down production and export operations from the Shah Deniz Alpha platform. BP Azerbaijan spokesperson Tamam Bayatly assured that the platform, pipeline, and personnel remained safe, with no environmental impact reported.
"We are currently working to resolve the problem and resume normal operations as quickly as possible," Bayatly said.
Meanwhile, the State Oil Company of Azerbaijan (SOCAR) has yet to comment on the issue.
Bulgaria’s natural gas supply has been under pressure since April 2022, following its decision to cease importing Russian gas due to payment disputes. The latest incident underscores the region's energy vulnerabilities and the need for reliable and diversified sources.
Bulgaria will adopt the euro on January 1, 2026, aiming for stronger economic growth and higher living standards, Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov announced following the European Commission’s approval.
The European Central Bank has confirmed that Bulgaria now meets all criteria to adopt the euro, setting the stage for the country to join the eurozone on January 1, 2026, pending final approval from EU finance ministers.
Thousands of Bulgarians took to the streets in Sofia and other major cities on Saturday to oppose the government’s plan to replace the lev with the euro, a key step in the country’s deeper integration into the European Union.
The European Commission is likely to give Bulgaria the green light on June 4 to adopt the euro currency from the start of 2026, several euro zone officials said, making Bulgaria the 21st country to join the single currency area.
Bulgarian President Rumen Radev and Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba signed a declaration on upgrading bilateral ties to a strategic partnership during Radev’s official visit to Tokyo.
Meta and Russian search engine Yandex have been secretly tracking what Android users do on their web browsers—even when users are in private or incognito mode—according to experts from Radboud University and IMDEA Networks.
A major Japanese battery maker has stopped construction on a $1.6 billion plant in South Carolina, citing “policy and market uncertainty” tied to electric vehicles and global trade.
Germany’s new government has launched a major program aimed at boosting investment and helping Europe’s largest economy recover after two years of decline.
]The third annual AI Film Festival opened Thursday night in New York, offering a glimpse into what artificial intelligence can now do on the big screen.
A local dive team has solved a nearly 140-year-old maritime mystery by identifying the wreck of the SS Nantes off the coast of Devon.
As peace talks progress, voices from Yerevan, Tbilisi, and Baku reveal hopes, concerns, and expectations for a future shaped by trade, trust, and generational change in the South Caucasus.
A bridge collapse in the Vygonichsky district of Russia’s Bryansk region, near the Ukrainian border, caused a train derailment and a traffic accident early Sunday, killing at least seven people and leaving 30 injured, according to emergency services.
Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) has confirmed it carried out a third targeted attack against the Crimean Bridge, also known as the Kerch Bridge, early Tuesday morning, marking a new escalation in the ongoing conflict with Russia.
A strong 6.3 magnitude earthquake shook Japan’s Hokkaido prefecture early Monday, causing no reported injuries or damage, and no tsunami warning was issued, officials confirmed.
Peace talks between Russia and Ukraine ended abruptly in Istanbul on Monday, lasting just over an hour amid mounting tensions following a major Ukrainian drone strike on Russian strategic bombers and renewed pressure from the U.S. for a breakthrough.
The first-ever high-level international conference on glacier melt has wrapped up in Dushanbe, bringing together more than 2,500 delegates from 80 countries.
Azerbaijan has unveiled plans to export renewable electricity to Türkiye through the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic, with a projected capacity of up to 1 gigawatt.
Two Armenian teenagers who accidentally crossed into Azerbaijani territory have been safely returned, easing tensions after a brief border incident.
Global investors remained wary on Friday after a closely watched phone call between U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping failed to deliver concrete progress on trade. Chinese markets reflected the cautious sentiment, with modest declines across key indices.
Uzbekistan secured a place at the FIFA World Cup for the first time in their history, earning a landmark qualification following a 0-0 draw with the United Arab Emirates in Abu Dhabi on Thursday.
Meta and Russian search engine Yandex have been secretly tracking what Android users do on their web browsers—even when users are in private or incognito mode—according to experts from Radboud University and IMDEA Networks.
A major Japanese battery maker has stopped construction on a $1.6 billion plant in South Carolina, citing “policy and market uncertainty” tied to electric vehicles and global trade.
Germany’s new government has launched a major program aimed at boosting investment and helping Europe’s largest economy recover after two years of decline.
]The third annual AI Film Festival opened Thursday night in New York, offering a glimpse into what artificial intelligence can now do on the big screen.
A local dive team has solved a nearly 140-year-old maritime mystery by identifying the wreck of the SS Nantes off the coast of Devon.
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