SOFIA (Reuters) -Bulgarian authorities are conducting inspections and implementing security measures at Russian oil major Lukoil’s Burgas oil refinery to preserve critical infrastructure, Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov said on Monday, as the government prepares to seize control of the site.
Last week, Bulgaria adopted legal changes allowing it to take over the refinery and sell it to a new owner to shield the plant from U.S. sanctions.
Zhelyazkov said on Monday that the measures, which include inspections and readying military police, are preventive and aimed at preserving critical infrastructure, including the oil refinery and other facilities, according to a press statement issued Monday.
On Sunday the Council of Ministers issued a statement saying that state security agency, the ministry of interior and the ministry of defence have taken additional measures to ensure security “in the area of Lukoil’s sites – elements of the critical infrastructure on the territory of Bulgaria.”
“The Ministry of Defence has redeployed an anti-drone system in the region of Burgas,” the statement said. “An inspection is carried out to verify compliance with the plan and security measures at strategic facilities.”
It said that “military police teams are also on standby and ready to assist the ministry of interior.”
Bulgaria’s Nova TV reported that entering vehicles are strictly checked, including for explosive devices.
Under the new law, a special manager could be appointed to oversee the sale of the Burgas refinery. Lukoil, the current owner, would have no right to vote on or appeal the decision.
The U.S. and Britain last month imposed sanctions on Lukoil and Rosneft – Russia’s two biggest oil companies – over Moscow’s war in Ukraine, complicating how they carry out their operations.
(Reporting by Georgi Slavov; Additional reporting by Robert Harvey in London; Writing by Ivana Sekularac; Editing by Louise Heavens)
