The Competition Council has launched an investigation to verify the conditions under which Romgaz and OMV Petrom deliver natural gas to their own power plants, the institution announced.

In the investigation launched in February, the Competition Council will collaborate with ANRE to examine whether the power plants of the two gas producers have benefited from different conditions compared to those in which SNGN Romgaz SA and OMV Petrom SA provide natural gas to other consumers in Romania.

The quantities of natural gas produced annually by SNGN Romgaz SA and OMV Petrom SA together account for over 94% of the total domestic gas production.

The two producers have integrated structures including gas-generating units that use natural gas as fuel.

Thus, SNGN Romgaz SA is a producer of electricity through the Power Generation Branch (SPEE), which includes the Iernut thermal power plant with an installed capacity of 600 MW and a capacity to generate electricity of approx. 5% of national electricity production. Also, in an experimental project of Romgaz SA, the natural gas coming from two Cojocna wells are used as combustion gases for two power generating units (each with an installed power of 1.5 MW).

OMV Petrom SA is present on the electricity market in Romania both as a producer and supplier (it holds a power supply license from 2009). OMV Petrom SA owns the Brazi power plant, with an installed capacity of 860 MW (in operation since 2012), which can provide up to about 10% of the national electricity demand.