Energy Blast – July 19, 2010

Russia and Bulgaria have signed a ‘road map‘ laying out deadlines for building work on the South Stream gas pipeline, although the director of Bulgaria’s Institute of Energy and Finances reportedly insisted that Sofia ‘tried to the very end to adhere to common European interests and not give in to Russian interests‘.  Gazprom insists that it has not invited Germany’s RWE to join the project.  The Washington Post tries to imagine how the BP oil spill could have been worse, as the company announces that its containment cap is working to temporarily restrain some of the spillage, until a relief well shuts off the leak completely ‘in a week‘.  Energy officials from 21 countries, including Russia, are in Washington today for a two-day meeting on clean energy.