The local Black Sea Technology Company (BSTC), 99.69%-owned by Italy`s AMGA Azienda Multiservizi S.p.A., said it is interested in adding the municipalities of Karlovo, Sopot, Bania and Kaloyanovo to its current gas permit area.

The company has been licensed to deploy infrastructure in the Dobrudzha and Mizia gas distribution regions.

BSTC supervisory board chairman Yordan Radev said the company is in talks with the mayors of the respective municipalities to drum up support for the project.

Sopot mayor Veselin Lichev told the local Darik radio that the necessary funding will be provided by BSTC and the project would not be a financial strain for the municipality.

Potential industrial consumers on the territory of the municipalities eyed by BSTC include the Vazov machine engineering plant and the SKF bearings plant.

BSTC expects that the rollout of the gas mains in the five municipalities could begin by the end of 2009.

The Kaloyanovo municipality is covered by the gas distribution permit of Citigas, a subsidiary of Italy`s Gruppo Societa Gas Rimini. The company said it is also interested in the five municipalities in question.

Bulgarian law requires that the power regulator organise a competitive procedure in case more than one gas distributor is interested in a particular region.