"Bulgaria would hardly be able to find an alternative to Russian natural gas," Radoslav Ribarski, chairman of the Energy Committee in the National Assembly and a member of parliament from We Continue the Change party, told BNR.

The options, he said, were liquefied gas via Greece and Turkey or supplies from Qatar and Egypt. "Egypt sees Bulgaria as a potential hub to distribute gas to our region," the MP added. He said that he had no information whether there was a final decision of the government not to negotiate with “Gazprom”.

Speaking to BNR, Ramadan Atalay, a DPS MP and deputy chairman of the Energy Committee, said the government's discussions of the energy situation were "short-sighted and irresponsible". "The risks are that at the end of the year we may not get the 3 bcm of gas we have under contract with Russia, or we will get the gas, but 50% more expensive, from elsewhere," he said.

• Finance Minister Assen Vassilev: Bulgaria will not renew its contract with Gazprom for the delivery of natural gas
• Higher electricity prices if Gazprom halts deliveries to Europe: Energy Minister Alexander Nikolov