Bulgaria is setting aside €2bn to help industry, business and households cope with high electricity prices.
Deputy prime minister and economy, investment and industry minister Alexander Pulev and energy minister Iva Petrova announced the decision after talks with employers' groups and trade unions.
The two ministers again promised that household bills for electricity and heating will not go up.
The Electricity System Security Fund will provide €1.5bn of the total. The Bulgarian Development Bank (BDB) will provide the other €500m.
Energy-intensive firms, which use a lot of power, will get more help. The state will now cover 70% of their electricity costs, up from 50%, Pulev said. The move counts as state aid, and the European Commission has been informed. Officials still have to decide how much support each firm needs.
Delyana Ivanova, chair of the BDB supervisory board, said the bank will give non-household users an extra €15 per megawatt hour. Because power prices are high, the BDB will pay this aid for October too.
Pulev said the budget will carry no extra burden and the steps will help curb inflation. Energy markets around the world are under pressure from shocks, including the war in Ukraine and the conflict in Iran, he added. He said Bulgarian business is still competitive, but in these conditions the state must back both firms and households.
Households that use natural gas will get €10m from the package this winter.
Petrova said Bulgargaz is still supplying industry with gas at competitive prices.