Romania is not affected by the cessation of natural gas transit through Ukraine, because it is practically independent in the natural gas sector and covers its consumption needs from its own production, said Energy Minister Sebastian Burduja.
“Romania is not affected by the cessation of natural gas transit through Ukraine, because our country is not in a situation of being an importer of Russian gas. Romania does not have direct natural gas supply contracts with Gazprom, therefore the termination of the transit agreement does not affect the security of supply at the national level. Domestic production, the good level of gas stocks in warehouses and the existing infrastructure in the region are the pillars that contribute to ensuring stability in natural gas supply in Romania,” said the Energy Minister, according to Agerpres.
He stressed that Romania is practically independent in the natural gas sector and covers its entire consumption needs from its own production, onshore and offshore, of 8-10 billion normal cubic meters (ncm).
“In 2024, Romania became the largest gas producer in the European Union. Currently, Romania has almost 2 billion nmc stored in warehouses, with a daily consumption of under 40 million nmc. For commercial reasons, Romania sometimes imports natural gas from the Szeged-Arad direction and through the southern interconnection points with Bulgaria, Kardam1-Negru Vodă1 (Trans-Balkan Corridor) and Giurgiu-Ruse,” Sebastian Burduja specified.
He indicated that our country also supports the Republic of Moldova to the maximum through the Iași-Ungheni gas pipeline, with a technical export capacity of 1.88 billion cubic meters/year – 5.1 million cubic meters/day, which can fully cover the consumption needs between the Prut and the Dniester.
At the same time, he added, in recent years Romania has continuously worked on diversifying supply sources and alternative natural gas transport routes. Thus, through the Vertical Corridor (Greece-Bulgaria-Romania) and the Trans-Balkan Corridor (Turkey-Bulgaria-Romania-Ukraine-Republic of Moldova), there is access to alternative sources, including LNG.
On the other hand, in 2027 Romania will start natural gas production in the new Neptun Deep project in the Black Sea, which has estimated reserves of over 100 billion cubic meters of natural gas. Work is also underway on the largest onshore gas exploitation, at Caragele.
“Therefore, gas supply is secure in Romania. Romania also covers the gas supply of the Republic of Moldova. Moreover, Romania is in a position to contribute directly to the consolidation of the European Union’s gas supply, and from 2027 it will double its national gas production and contribute to reducing/eliminating European dependence on Russian gas,” concluded Sebastian Burduja.