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Bulgaria's energy minister acknowledged Tuesday that the country's fuel stockpiles could prove insufficient if its largest refinery stops operations due to U.S. sanctions on Russian oil giant Lukoil, even as he sought to reassure the public about supply security.
Energy Minister Zhecho Stankov told a defense and democracy conference in Sofia that "the security of supply at affordable prices is guaranteed" and that fuel quantities in Bulgaria "are sufficient to supply Bulgarian citizens and businesses for a long period," according to state news agency BTA.
But his comments revealed growing anxiety about the Nov. 21 deadline when the Burgas refinery's operations could be disrupted. Stankov said his ministry maintains constant contact with the U.S. Office of Foreign Assets Control to find a solution before that date.
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The reassurances drew immediate pushback from opposition lawmakers who questioned the government's preparedness.
"The head of the State Reserve has just confirmed what I have been saying since the beginning of the crisis with the sanctions against Lukoil: our 90-day fuel reserves are not actually 90-day reserves," said Ivaylo Mirchev, a member of parliament from the opposition Continue the Change–Democratic Bulgaria coalition.
Mirchev said reserves stored outside Bulgaria's borders "are not real 90-day reserves" and called on authorities to immediately repatriate them.
Asen Asenov, who chairs the State Reserve and Wartime Stocks Agency, told Bulgarian television station bTV that the country holds approximately 35 days of petrol reserves and more than 50 days of diesel reserves.
Parliament moved swiftly last week to address the crisis, passing emergency legislation within seven days. The measures ban exports and intra-EU deliveries of petroleum products, primarily diesel, and establish a special commercial administrator to manage Lukoil's Bulgarian assets.
When asked whether the government had developed a backup plan, Stankov expressed confidence in the current approach. He replied that he was certain "Plan A" would work well.
The situation places Bulgaria in a difficult position as it navigates between its reliance on Russian energy infrastructure and its obligations as a European Union and NATO member following Washington's sanctions against Moscow's energy sector.
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