Depogaz Ploiești is the gas storage branch of Romgaz Mediaș. The company operates five storage warehouses with a cumulative capacity of 2.76 billion cubic meters (m3). The company plans to carry out more investments to increase its gas storage capacity to 4.2 – 4.5 billion cubic meters of natural gas.
“In the 2000s, Romania had a storage capacity of 600 million cubic meters, injection of 8-9 million cubic meters and extraction of 10-12 million cubic meters/day”, recalled the general director of Depogaz Ploiești, Vasile Cârstea, at the conference “O&G – answers for today, answers for tomorrow”, organized by Energynomics. Currently, our injection capacity is 20-22 million cubic meters per day and the extraction capacity is 30 million cubic meters per day. For 2025-2026 we have a target to develop both the existing deposits (Bălăceanca, Sărmășel, Bilciurești, Urziceni and Ghercești) and to reach 4.2-4.5 billion cubic meters of storage, injection of 30 million cubic meters/day and extraction of 42-45 million mc/day.
Depogaz aims to attract European funds for the development of the Bilciurești gas deposit, the largest in Romania. The storage capacity of this deposit is 1.3 billion cubic meters and is to be increased to 1.45 billion cubic meters. At the same time, the injection capacity will increase to 10-12 million cubic meters, and the extraction capacity will be increased to 20 million cubic meters/day (from 14 million cubic meters/day currently).
“In Bilciurești, we are working on digging four wells that will bring an addition of 4 million cubic meters of gas per day. In Bilciurești, we have a project in perpetual motion”, said Cârstea.
Depogaz also intends to increase the capacity of the Ghercești deposit, from 200 to 600 million cubic meters. At the same time, the injection and extraction capacity will increase by three million cubic meters per day. The works are scheduled to start in 2023 and end in 2024 or 2025. The capacity of this deposit could be increased up to two billion cubic meters, Cârstea added.
Another project of the company is the construction of a gas warehouse in the north of Moldova, in Fălticeni, which could cover gas consumption both in the northern part of Romania and in the Republic of Moldova.
“From a strategic point of view, apart from the development of our existing warehouses, we want to build a new warehouse in the north of Moldova, in Fălticeni, with a storage capacity of 200-250 million cubic meters, 2-3 million extraction and 1.5- 2 million mc daily extraction. This deposit could cover the needs of the northern part of Romania, plus those of the Republic of Moldova, which faces a rather delicate situation from a strategic point of view”, said Cârstea.
He added that Depogaz is in a situation conducive to investments, as the regulatory norms ensure a profitable development and create the possibility to dispose of the necessary funds for the development of the storage capacity. The company from Ploiești is also considering investments in its own electricity production, in order to be able to reduce costs and, implicitly, the storage rates charged to customers.
“O&G – answers for today, answers for tomorrow” conference was organized by Energynomics, with the support of its partners: ACE Industrial Software, Romgaz, Schneider Electric.