06.11.2024

The gasification of the St. St. Cyril and Methodius Primary School in Nikolovo has begun. It is being implemented thanks to a partnership between the Ruse-based company M-Gas, the State Oil and Gas Company of Azerbaijan (SOCAR), and the Municipality of Ruse.

The project was launched today with a ceremony in the schoolyard. In accordance with an old Bulgarian tradition, the hosts welcomed the official guests from Bulgaria and Azerbaijan with bread and salt. The mayor of Ruse Municipality, Pencho Milkov, Eng. Stoyan Manolov, manager of M-Gas EOOD, Murad Heydarov, head of SOCAR’s Regional Commercial Representation in the Balkans, Farid Hajiyev, head of SOCAR’s Administrative Department, Ramil Asadulzade, Executive Director of SOCAR Romania, and Rosen Simitchiev, Office Manager of SOCAR’s Regional Commercial Representation in the Balkans. Also present were the mayor of Nikolo, Zlatan Vanev, municipal councilor Iskren Veselinov, deputy mayor of Sredna Kula Bozhidar Yotov, and others.

The students greeted the guests with musical performances, and the school principal, Rositsa Vladova, welcomed the guests with gratitude, expressing the teaching staff’s desire for gas heating to create comfort and coziness for the children.

“Today in Nikolovo, we are launching a new heating system in the school, which will replace the existing diesel system. All this will happen with the support of M-Gas and SOCAR under an explicit agreement between the President of the Republic of Bulgaria, Rumen Radev and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev,” said Mayor Pencho Milkov. He explained that the agreement allows gas from Azerbaijan to be supplied not only to businesses but also to non-commercial buildings such as this school. “This will be the first such building in which the agreement will be implemented, and I am grateful that the municipality of Ruse will be the first site. I would also like to thank both companies for their efforts and investments. I have their assurance that they will cover not only the costs of installing the system, but also the heating costs for the winter season. Analysis shows that gas heating is twice as cheap as what the school currently has. At the same time, the Municipality of Ruse is starting to renovate and refurbish the school building, so the two projects will coincide, but there will be no need to move the students to another building,” Mayor Milkov explained.

A mobile platform with gas cylinders has already been delivered to the school, and the head of operations at M-Gas explained how the system will work. The ribbon of the newly created initial gas connection was ceremoniously cut by Pencho Milkov, Eng. Stoyan Manolov, and Murad Heydarov.

Manolov explained that the investment in the school in Nikolovo to convert the fuel system from fuel oil to gas is being covered by the company. “At the same time, the Municipality of Ruse will save about BGN 70,000 in one year, as we will pay for the heating,” added Manolov. He explained that M-Gas, together with the Municipality of Ruse, plans to convert about 15-17 buildings in areas where there is no gas heating network. “Our ambitious goal is that within two years, all municipal buildings—schools, kindergartens, and healthcare facilities that do not have a gas distribution system—will be connected to the gas network in this way. According to Manolov, Ruse has a bright future ahead of it in terms of investment and human resources.

“It is very symbolic that the first school we have connected to the gas network is named after the brothers Cyril and Methodius, who created the alphabet,” said Murad Heydarov. He thanked the school principal for the wonderful celebration and Mayor Pencho Milkov for expanding the strategic relations between the two countries. “Our company will continue to work to supply gas to a number of social facilities,” Heydarov said.