SOFIA, Bulgaria — Seven Western oil companies will search for oil in Bulgaria, the Socialist Party newspaper Douma reported today.

The paper said the names of the companies involved are still secret, but it hinted that they were major oil firms, describing them as being "among the sparks in this business."

According to preliminary agreements, Bulgaria, which is suffering severe gasoline shortages due to reduced supplies from the Soviet Union, will get 75% of the oil found on its territory, the paper said.