Total Wins Permit to Explore Bulgarian Black Sea Gas Field

French company Total SA has won a permit to develop Bulgaria's Black Sea natural gas resources, Bulgarian Economy and Energy Minister Delyan Dobrev announced Thursday.

Total SA and Britain's Melrose Resources Plc submitted bids for exploration and exploitation of Bulgaria's natural in its "Khan Asparuh" Black Sea bloc earlier in July.

"We assessed the offers quickly – the best one was submitted by the Total company, which will work with OMV and Repsol," Dobrev told reporters.

He pointed out that the upcoming exploration of the "Khan Asparuh" bloc could contribute greatly to his country's energy diversification.

Russian state-owned company company Gazprom currently supplies about 85% of Bulgaria's gas needs. It supplied almost all the country's needs until 2010, when Melrose began production at the Galata block, also in the Bulgarian Black Sea.

Some 42-84 billion cubic meters of natural gas were recently proved in Romanian waters near the Khan Asparuh block.

The Khan Asparuh block spans 15 000 square kilometers in Bulgaria's Black Sea waters. According to preliminary geologic studies, it may contain 500 billion cubic meters of natural gas.

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