Caretaker Minister of Energy Vladimir Malinov has confirmed that Hungarian company MOL will participate in the auction for the sale of Lukoil Neftochim. His words came in response to a statement by Prime Minister Viktor Orban, made a day after his visit to Bulgaria, that the company is interested in buying the refinery in Burgas.

“More than ten days ago, we had a bilateral meeting with Péter Szijjártó, Hungary’s Foreign Minister and Minister of Trade, where they stated that a Hungarian company is one of the participants in this process for purchasing a majority stake in the refinery,” Vladimir Malinov said. He added that the government cannot interfere in the sale and that “from then on, the MPs will decide what actions to take.”

MOL is the only candidate from the European Union to participate in the bidding. "Analysts warn that this could attract Russian financing, as the company's financial capabilities are limited," Oilprice reported.

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