Oman and Bulgaria have agreed to sign an energy cooperation pact within the next two months, focusing on renewable energy production and storage, hydrogen, and oil and gas.
The agreement was reached during a visit by Oman's energy minister, Salim Al Aufi, to his Bulgarian counterpart, Vladimir Malinov, the Bulgarian Ministry of Energy announced on its website.
The ministers considered a potential cooperation in the field of hydrogen as Oman aims to become a major exporter of green hydrogen to Europe targeting an annual output of 1 million tonnes while Bulgaria offers a strategic geographic location at the crossroads of Europe and Asia.
“Bulgaria can be a gateway for producers and traders of hydrogen that can be realized in Europe," Malinov noted. "We have already developed, together with Greece, a project to build an interconnector for hydrogen, which has also been granted the status of a Project of Common Interest to the EU," he added.
In addition, Malinov and Salim Al Aufi explored the potential for supplying liquefied natural gas to Bulgaria, aiming to secure part of the needed supply for the upcoming winter season.