Bulgaria warns of fuel shortages amid US sanctions on Lukoil
Stankov reassured the public that “the security of supply at affordable prices is guaranteed,” but admitted that Bulgaria’s fuel reserves could be insufficient if the Burgas refinery ceases production. “The quantities of fuel available on the territory of Bulgaria are sufficient to supply Bulgarian citizens and businesses for a long period,” he said at the Fortifying Freedom: Defence and Democracy Dialogue in Sofia, according to reports. The minister added that his office is in ongoing communication with the US Office of Foreign Assets Control to secure a resolution before Nov. 21, when refinery operations could be impacted.
Opposition figures, however, questioned this optimism. Ivaylo Mirchev, a lawmaker from Continue the Change–Democratic Bulgaria (CC-DB), argued that fuel reserves stored abroad “are not real 90-day reserves” and called for immediate repatriation. “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,” he said.
Asen Asenov, chair of the State Reserve and Wartime Stocks Agency, previously told a news outlet that Bulgaria holds petrol reserves for roughly 35 days and diesel for over 50 days.
In response to the sanctions, parliament quickly passed emergency measures, including banning petroleum product exports and intra-EU deliveries—mostly diesel—and creating a special commercial administrator to oversee Lukoil’s Bulgarian assets.
Despite these steps, Stankov downplayed the need for alternative plans. When asked about a “Plan B,” he expressed confidence that “Plan A” would suffice.
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