Bulgaria’s fuel stations may launch fuels with a biofuel component from the autumn, said representatives of a working group of government and private experts tasked to draft a new renewable energy legislation.

The changes are aimed at introducing real and effective control over mixing a bio component into fossil fuels, with administrative penalties for non-compliant drivers.

At present, the State Agency for Metrological and Technical Surveillance (SAMTS), which should regulate the sector, has its hands tied by poor statutory rules, and the alternative fuels market is practically stalled.

The bill is expected to enter Plenary Hall in mid-May 2009, ahead of the general elections scheduled for July.

"Under the Government’s upbeat scenario, biofuel blends should be available at filling stations from November this year," according to Andrei Delchev, chairperson of the Bulgarian Petroleum and Gas Association (BPGA), which unites the largest distributors on the market.

He said that the bill provides a six-month grace period for filling station chains to make the necessary technical adjustments.

However, biofuel producers fired fresh criticism on the government, which accepted a proposal by fuel distributor Lukoil Bulgaria to scrap the requirement to mix petrol with bioethanol.

"Bioethanol production in Bulgaria will grind to a halt due to changes being prepared by economy and energy minister Petar Dimitrov and his team. It won’t be a surprise if next year the minister proposed that biofuels should be scrapped altogether," said Dimitar Zafirov, chairperson of the industry association.

Kostadinka Todorova, department head at the economy ministry, brushed off the criticism, saying that the planned changes were designed to support the sector.

Source: Dnevnik.bg