BPGA: WAREHOUSES ARE FULL OF FUEL

The panic about the fuels in our country is not based on any objective facts, the executive director of the Bulgarian Oil and Gas Association Andrey Delchev told BNT this morning after queues of cars curled up at gas stations in Sofia and other cities last night due to the jump in gasoline and diesel prices.

Andrey Delchev is adamant that there is no shortage of fuel in Bulgaria. He stressed that the warehouses are full.

"We are in constant contact with both the State Reserve and the refinery, which supplies the huge amount of fuel in Bulgaria. The refinery is working, has reserves and fuel. The company's warehouses are full. The state reserve maintains a 90-day fuel supply," he said. Delchev.

According to him, some companies that are not members of the BPGA on Wednesday speculatively raised prices by 0.30-0.40 levs and caused panic.

Delchev warned that panic leads to increased demand, which in turn will lead to a sharp rise in prices and it is better not to cause this.

At the same time, BPGA Chairman Zhivodar Terziev told BNR that last night's situation "was created by ourselves".

"We have had no problem in an unparalleled situation in the last, perhaps, 15 years. Because of rumors "the population began to fill up fuel hysterically," he said, adding that in a few hours such quantities of fuel had been sold as are sold by one gas station per week.

BGN 2.91 is the price of a liter of ordinary diesel at one of the large gas station chains on the Trakia highway on Thursday morning. Gasoline is sold for BGN 2.85 per liter.

"The refinery is well loaded. Production is going well. The warehouses are full."

Larger warehouses in the country will open extraordinary today, said the chairman of the Bulgarian Oil and Gas Association and called for caution with overstocking for fire safety.