“Gas is a scam”: Greenpeace warns against new fossil gas extraction project in the Black Sea

Black Sea, Bulgaria, 3rd of September 2026: 

With a peaceful protest in Bulgarian waters, Greenpeace warns against plans for new oil and gas extraction in the vulnerable Black Sea. Activists on Kayaks revealed a giant banner bearing the message “GAS IS A SCAM” off the Bulgarian Black Sea coast - accompanied by the iconic Greenpeace ship Arctic Sunrise. The demonstration comes against the backdrop of an upcoming oil and gas exploration project in the Khan Tervel block in Bulgaria’s exclusive economic zone. It serves as a powerful reminder on the real dangers of gas exploration projects: fueling the climate crisis, fossil fuel lock-in and endangering marine life such as dolphins, and calls out those who solely profit  - big international corporations such as Shell and OMV-Petrom. The action involved 15 activists from Bulgaria, Spain, Ukraine, Poland, Chile, the United States, and Italy.

“Fossil Gas is a Scam. It brings enormous environmental risks and fuels the climate crisis - meaning heat waves and droughts as we just experienced all over Europe this summer. Since gas is a commodity traded internationally, cheap domestic fossil gas is a false promise. Employment opportunities are also exaggerated: high-paid experts are flown in, and locals are left with short-term jobs in construction and logistics. More centralised fossil fuel infrastructure leaves societies exposed: to pollution, geopolitical tensions, and extreme weather.”, said Desislava Mikova, Energy and Climate Campaign Lead at Greenpeace Bulgaria.

Using fossil gas accelerates the climate crisis, along with deadly heatwaves and droughts, followed by devastating floods. The Black Sea is already one of the fastest-warming seas in the world, due to climate change. This rapid warming severely disrupts the marine ecosystem, making it incredibly difficult for marine life, including dolphins, to adapt to their shifting environment. Expanding offshore drilling projects and industrial pressure add to this ecological stress, pushing the Black Sea to a dangerous breaking point.

Fossil gas prices on the other hand are strongly influenced by geopolitical crises - leaving little to no impact to new local gas explorations such as planned in the Khan Tervel block.The consequences of the crisis around the Strait of Hormuz are unfolding right now as a result of the war waged by the United States and Israel against Iran - adding even more reason to turn away from fossil fuels and invest in other, more safe and stable solutions such as renewable energy. 

“Bulgaria and Europe as a whole needs to get out of the fossil gas trap and transform its energy system. We need solutions now, not a decade down the line, when a new gas project would be expected to start production. The only way to be resilient to future energy crises is through renewables such as solar and wind, residual heat, as well as energy storage systems, including seasonal storage. We need to decentralise our energy system to make us independent. We need to focus on how Bulgaria can implement such solutions immediately, instead of selling out the Black Sea to corporations that profit the most when everyone else pays the price,” finishes Mikova.

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Media inquiries:

Desislava Mikova, Climate and Energy Campaign Lead, Greenpeace Bulgaria, 
e-mail: desislava.mikova@greenpeace.org

phone: +359 887 868 646

Theresa Gral, Communications for Greenpeace Central and Eastern Europe
e-mail: theresa.gral@greenpeace.org

phone/Whatsapp/Telegram/Signal: +43 650 375 1987