The contingency plan worked out by Economy and Energy Ministry to ration gas to industrial consumers in case the country faced a repeat of the January gas crisis could be completed within the next 24 hours, Economy and Energy Minister Petar Dimitrov told reporters on March 5 2009.

The ministry has had talks with the large industrial consumers who had all agreed to the plan, with the exception of "one of the largest consumers", Dimitrov said without naming the company.

"I expect the task to be completed by the end of the day so that we can publish the plan on [the ministry's] website," Dimitrov said on the sidelines of the Bulgaria Business and Investment Summit held in Sofia's Sheraton hotel on March 5-6 2009.

We are ready to enforce it at any time," he said, adding that priority would be given to heating utilities. "They have already been warned to be ready to turn to alternative fuels as it happened in January," Dimitrov said.

Dimitrov said that Bulgaria had to be prepared for another crisis with natural gas deliveries from Russia. "We have been receiving indications that a crisis might happen again and we have been taking measures against it," he said.

Ukraine's state-owned oil and gas company Naftogaz is yet to pay the full bill for February gas deliveries, which could prompt Gazprom to cut off deliveries again. "We know that the two companies have started negotiations but we want to be ready," Dimitrov said.

Talks have been held with Romania, Greece and Turkey for gas deliveries and Bulgaria would be able to use its sole natural gas storage in the village of Chiren.

It was used almost to the limit during the January row, but Bulgaria has been pumping gas into it to replenish the reserves, which "is an unprecedented move during winter months", Dimitrov said.