Bogdan Tudorache

Transgaz has announced that it has completed work on the BRUA-Phase 1 pipeline with savings of about 20%. The pipeline currently has all the capacity reserved for Hungary via the Csanádpalota interconnection point (Hungary) and transits natural gas that enters from Bulgaria into Romania, through the interconnection point (on the border) from Kardam (BG) – Negru Vodă1 (RO).

Phase 1 consisted in achieving the following objectives: Podişor – Recaş pipeline 32”x 63 bar in length of 481.92 km: LOT 1 executed from km 0 (in the area of Podișor locality, Giurgiu County) to km 180.62 (in the area Văleni locality, Zătreni Commune, Vâlcea County); LOT 2 executed from km 180.62 (in the area of Văleni Locality, Zătreni Commune, Vâlcea County) to km 322.01 (in the area of Pui locality, Hunedoara County); LOT 3 executed from km 322.01 (in the area of Pui locality, Hunedoara County) to km 481.92 (in the area of Recaș locality, Timiș County) and three gas compression stations (SC Podişor, SC Bibeşti and SC Jupa), each station being equipped with two compression units (one in operation and one in reserve), with the possibility of ensuring bidirectional gas flow.

The capacity currently transported through the BRUA gas pipeline – phase 1 is of 4.6 million cubic meters per day, which means an annual volume of 1.68 billion cubic meters, respectively a degree of loading of the transmission pipeline of 96%.

“With the completion of phase 1 of the BRUA project, the following objectives were achieved: fulfillment of commitments to the European Commission, commitments set out in Decision C (2020) 1,232 of 06.03.2020, respectively to ensure the maximum capacity available to export network users natural gas from Romania to Hungary and Bulgaria; ensuring a gas capacity of 1.5 billion m3 / year for Bulgaria; developing a transport capacity to Hungary of 1.75 billion m3 / year; ensuring the security of Romania’s gas supply through access to new gas sources; diversification of natural gas supply sources of European countries; the transport of natural gas reserves from the Caspian region to the Central European markets,” Transgaz officials also said.

“The BRUA phase 1 project ended at a value of 377.4 million Euros (value calculated at the current exchange rate of EUR), respectively with savings worth 21% (101.1 million Euros) compared to the value put up for auction of 478.5 million Euro; compared to the average EUR exchange rate during the project, the value is 387.8 million Euros, which means savings of about 19% (90.7 million Euros); The total cost per km of the BRUA phase 1 gas pipeline, at the current rate, including the turbocharger stations (Podișor, Bibești, Jupa) is of 783.2 thousand Euro; compared to the average of the project implementation period, the total cost/km is of 804.8 thousand Euro; The total cost per km of the BRUA phase 1 gas pipeline, without the turbocharger stations, at the current rate, is of 546.5 thousand Euro; compared to the average of the EUR exchange rate during the project, the total cost/km is of 561.6 thousand Euro,” the company officials also mentioned.