What will happen if “Lukoil“ disrupts its oil supplies, respectively the production of fuels. How will the State Reserve intervene? The Chairman of the State Reserve, Assen Assenov, spoke to FACTI on the topic.
- Mr. Assenov, the topic of “Lukoil“ is on the agenda again, because the company falls under US sanctions. Now the state is on the move to have fuel at gas stations. But how much fuel does the State Reserve have at its disposal to compensate for the shortage, if it comes to such?
- The government is prepared and is taking all necessary measures so that the imposed sanctions do not lead to difficulties for citizens. Under the Law on Mandatory Stocks of Oil and Petroleum Products, the agency keeps records of quantities sufficient to ensure consumption in the country for 90 days. Control is carried out monthly, the quantity and quality of fuels are monitored, which guarantees that if necessary they will reach the people quickly enough.
- Fuel stocks must be replaced. How is this done – Do you only use services from the state, or from companies as well?
- As with any stored goods, the shelf life and quality of fuels are particularly strictly monitored.
When the expiration date approaches, the fuels are sold on the exchange and fresh ones are purchased in their place.
The purchase is made again on the exchange for the purpose of maximum transparency and in strict compliance with the Public Procurement Act, and any company can participate.
- The fuels in the reserve must be within their expiration date. What is the expiration date of gasoline and diesel…
- The agency monitors the storage period, which is always shorter than the expiration date. To be as accurate as possible, the agency assigned a team from the University of Chemical Technology and Metallurgy in Sofia a task, on the basis of which they developed instructions for long-term storage of petroleum products in oil depots. Changes in the quality indicators of different types of fuels over time were taken into account, and the corresponding periods during which they remain compliant with the standards were also determined. As an example, I can point out that the storage period for diesel fuel is 5 years.
- If “Lukoil“ collapses, how will the State Reserve react after the third month?
- The quantities that the agency controls would be completely used up in three months without any production and with zero imports. If there were imports or some production, logically these fuels would be sufficient for a longer period of time. Meanwhile, with the first allocated quantities, the agency will begin the procurement of new ones, so as to prevent a collapse in the market and difficulties for citizens.
- The State Reserve provided water after the disaster in “Elenite“. How many actions have you participated in this year
- Unfortunately, this year we have often had to be of assistance. I say “unfortunately“ because when we intervene somewhere there is a disaster, somewhere people have suffered. In 2025 alone, we have provided assistance eight times, ensuring the delivery of over 619,000 liters of drinking water to the areas affected by various disasters.
- You will soon celebrate 75 years of the State Reserve. You are a long-standing structure, but you are developing. What goals do you have ahead of you?
- Our main goal is to be of help to people when they need it, to be with them in difficult times. In order to fulfill this goal, we strive to constantly improve and perfect both our material base and our knowledge and skills. The world is developing, people's needs are changing, we are facing new and previously unknown challenges, such as the COVID pandemic. We are changing too, we are adapting by updating the list of materials we store, as well as their quantities. We monitor and implement new trends in storage. We emphasize good communication between institutions so that we can be where we are needed as quickly as possible.