Spain Ready to Export Iranian LNG to Europe

Spain and Bulgaria are looking at Iran to increase energy security. Teheran sees in Madrid a preferential partner. 

"Talks between Iran and Spain on this topic will continue," Bijan Namdar Zangeneh, Iran's oil minister, oil ministry's news agency Shana wrote on Monday. 

Spain’s Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Garcia-Margallo, Industry, Energy and Tourism Minister Jose Manuel Soria and Public Works and Transport Minister Ana Maria Pastor Julian are visiting Iran for three days of talks with Iranian officials. 

"Spain can act as a canal for Iran's gas exports to Europe," Soria was reported as saying, referring to the country’s LNG infrastructure. According to a separate note published by Shana, Spain could then export Iran LNG to Europe. 

Also Sofia is considering opportunities stemming from the removal of sanctions against Iran. Bulgarian authorities have already leaked their intentions of resurrecting the Nabucco project to media, which will now be centred on Iranian gas sources. 

Mentioning Bulgarian Energy Minister Temenuzka Petkova, Romania Insider wrote that Bulgaria’s gas transmission operator Bulgartransgaz will organize a new procedure to select the contractor that will build the gas interconnector between Bulgaria and Romania, after the contractor that had been previously selected withdrew from the contract. In other words, the interconnector between the two Eastern European countries has been delayed. 

Preparations for the pipeline from Giurgiu in Romania to Ruse in Bulgaria started in 2010 and the intergovernmental agreement between Romania and Bulgaria was signed in November 2010.