Episode
Bulgaria's Energy Security - Martin Vladimirov | 2025 Episode 29
- Podcast
- The IR thinker
- Published
- Dec 1, 2025
- Duration seconds
- 2705
- Processing state
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Summary
In this episode, Martin Vladimirov unpacks Bulgaria’s evolving energy landscape in the aftermath of the war in Ukraine. We discuss shifts in the country’s energy mix, offshore wind prospects in the Black Sea, the strategic role of gas pipelines and interconnectors, and the future of key assets such as the Chiren gas storage facility, the Maritsa Iztok lignite complex, and potential new nuclear reactors. Martin Vladimirov Martin Vladimirov is Director of the Energy and Climate Program at the Center for the Study of Democracy (CSD), where his work focuses on European and Balkan energy security, energy transition pathways, and the geopolitical dimensions of Russian and Chinese economic influence. He has extensive experience as an energy analyst for The Oil and Gas Year, contributing in-depth reports on Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, and Saudi Arabia, and has consulted for international oil companies across the GCC and MENA regions. Martin is also an affiliated expert with the European Geopolitical Forum in Brussels and previously worked as an energy and economic analyst for CEE Market Watch, covering Iran and Central Asia. Publications: Managing Assets Under OFAC Sanctions Energy and Climate Security in Europe: From Crisis Response to Structural Transformation The Kremlin Playbook in Mexico: Asymmetric Influence The Imperative to Weaken the Kremlin’s War Economy: What the West Can Do Closing the backdoor: The new TurkStream is here. Can the West stop it? Content 00:00 – Introduction 01:38 – Bulgaria’s Evolving Energy Mix after the War in Ukraine 09:07 – Exploring Bulgaria’s Offshore Wind Potential 12:45 – Strategic Energy Pipelines Crossing Bulgaria 17:16 – Bulgaria’s Relationship with Gazprom and Gas Contracts 24:14 – The Greece–Bulgaria Gas Interconnector (IGB) 27:05 – Alexand…