July 16 (SeeNews) - The planned U.S. sanctions on companies participating in the construction of the second leg of the TurkStream natural gas pipeline could also affect Bulgaria, which is building an extension of the pipeline through its territory, deputy prime minister Tomislav Donchev said.
"Based on the information which we currently have, one thing is certain - there will be sanctions regarding the companies which are building TurkStream. It is possible that this concerns us, but it is also entirely possible that it doesn't", Donchev said in an interview for private broadcaster BTV on Wednesday.
The U.S. is expected to shortly announce further details on the planned sanctions, which will provide more clarity on whether Bulgaria will be affected, Donchev said in the interview.
Last year, gas transmission system operator Bulgartransgaz signed a 1.1 billion euro ($1.3 billion) contract with a consortium of Saudi-based Arkad Engineering and Construction Company and its Italy-based joint venture company Arkad ABB for the construction of an extension of TurkStream's transit pipeline on Bulgarian territory intended to carry gas from the border with Turkey to the border with Serbia.
The offshore section of TurkStream pipeline - a project of Russia's Gazprom, is stretching 930 km across the Black Sea from Russia to Turkey. It consists of two parallel strings with an annual throughput capacity of 15.75 billion cubic metres each. One string is intended for consumers in Turkey, while the second is planned to carry gas to customers in Europe via Turkish territory.
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Wednesday that the State Department is updating the public guidance for CAATSA [Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act] authorities to include the second line of TurkStream.
"This action puts investments or other activities that are related to these Russian energy export pipelines at risk of U.S. sanctions," Pompeo said during a press briefing in Washington D.C.
($ = 0.8778 euro)