“The petrol stations the state is planning to construct will not be built with money from the budget,” said Minister of Economy Emil Karanikolov in an interview for bTV.

He added that they will not be financed by the future State Oil Company but, instead, by a commercial company which cannot be state-subsidized. The company will makes use of loans and own funds. Negotiations are underway to attract strategic investors from abroad to build the petrol stations and electric car charging stations.

According to the government’s stated intentions the purpose of the state-owned chain of petrol stations is to improve competition on the market and offer the public and businesses the lowest prices possible.