Bulgaria is required to do its utmost to be able to at least meet the specific requirements and ensure a smooth winter period. This is what the outgoing Energy Minister Alexander Nikolov told journalists after a closed session of the Parliament dedicated to the gas supplies to Bulgaria. "People should not worrybecause in terms of infrastructure Bulgaria stands quite well, i.e. there are enough conventional solutions.

Electricity production in Bulgaria does not depend on natural gas, this is also mostly good news. Even if there is a gas supply bottleneck, alternative fuels are still an option," he said. A detailed plan is currently being developed and finalized. Europe's energy mix depends heavily on Gazprom Export, and the specific behaviour of this supplier clearly shows the goals are much more geopolitical than commercial, Nikolov said.

After the hearing some MPs expressed concern whether there will be gas supplies to Bulgaria at all and at what price. There is no contract for regular supplies, everything is day-to-day, there is no clarity for autumn and winter, BSP deputies said. There are also no long-term contracts for LNG from the US.