Natural gas remains extremely important for our energy transition, said Cristina Prună, Vice President of the Chamber of Deputies’ Industry and Services Committee, according to Financial Intelligence.
Even if it is estimated that the demand for natural gas in Europe will decrease by 8% in the period 2022-2026, there will still be a need for natural gas on our continent, she stated: “We must capitalize on this situation and make the energy transition in a way to benefit the Romanian economy, especially since we have important gas reserves onshore and in the Neptun Deep perimeter of the Black Sea.
But for that, a lot of courage is needed, fairness towards the Romanians, and above all a speech that does not border on the ridiculous”.
“We are told by Minister Sebastian Burduja that Romania has the fourth lowest price in the European Union for natural gas paid by the population. The reality is that we are among the most expensive countries in the EU if we look at the real prices, not the capped ones.
The problem does not arise if the consumer should not have a reasonable price. For sure, yes! The question is whether the price cap/compensation mechanism had to be done this way, in the context of the very high payments that the state makes to suppliers, where there are still arrears anyway. The scheme has so far cost us 22.4 billion lei for energy and gas! There are many honest suppliers in the market, but something is not working and that is with ANRE science. I hope things will come to light one day. The mechanism allowed keeping high prices in the market. What could be more wrong economically speaking?,” she added.
“We have great plans at the regional level with the Republic of Moldova, Ukraine and Hungary, we want to be a pole of energy security in the region and even a gas hub. But the market has been gutted in the most drastic ways possible domestically. Instead of being developed, to become as liquid and transparent as possible. Romania is the most important market in the region and we must strengthen ourselves. We will become a gas hub only when our neighbors cover their needs on the Bucharest market and see it as an alternative to the Turkish or Vienna markets. In other words, when they will buy from us,” also said Cristina Prună.