Gazprom has not been discussing with Bulgaria the restarting of the South Stream gas pipeline project but options for developing its gas transmission system, Alexander Medvedev, Deputy Chairman of the Russian gas giant, said.

The statement was made in response to a question about circulating ideas for the re-launch of the South Stream project. A day earlier, a Bulgarian newspaper, wrote that over the past two months the Bulgarian government has stepped up talks with Gazprom in order for Bulgaria to continue to transit natural gas after stopping deliveries through the Trans-Balkan gas pipeline (via Ukraine and Romania). This would probably happen in 2019 with the start of operation of the "Turkish Stream" project.

The task could be achieved either by building a connection to the new gas pipeline in Turkey, or through a new gas pipeline across the Black Sea, which will go out to Varna with a capacity of 15.67 billion cubic meters per year.