“I assure you that the BRUA pipeline will operate and transport gas,” said General Manager of Transgaz Ion Sterian at the conference “Romanian International Gas Conference(RIGC)”, organized by the Energy Policy Group (EPG). However, it is essential for the region to have access to new resources of natural gas – onshore, offshore (Black Sea) or transported from southern Europe via the so-called Vertical Corridor, which would link the gas transmission systems in Bulgaria-Greece with those in Hungary.

In this context, and a few hours after Transgaz announced the completion of the works on the BRUA 1 pipeline, Ion Sterian asked that “the others, Bulgarians and Greeks, too, keep up with the work, not only public statements of the high officials, as we are all fed up with fantasies”. Sterian criticized the fact that nothing was happening in the Bulgarian-Greek interconnection segment, although a memorandum was signed between the countries involved in the summer of 2017. “Nothing happened. We have tried many times […] to have meetings, to discuss the design of the Vertical Corridor, with Bulgaria first of all. Nothing happened, because we were facing total opposition. Our Bulgarian counterparts did not respond to any message. We came back again and again at the beginning of December last year, we signed another memorandum in Brussels, in the presence of the European Commission, through DG Energy. Nothing happened,” Ion Sterian said.

“We also discussed by phone to send a joint letter to Bulgartransgaz, to the project company that deals with the interconnector between Bulgaria and Greece, and to Greece’s DESFA, to see if we have any chance together, to move, to turn things around. Thus, not much happened in respect to diversification of sources.”

Ion Sterian used this opportunity to publicly ask Romgaz to increase its gas production, considering that Romania will record increased gas consumption. “I assure you that BRUA is functioning, it will carry gas and capacity will have to be increased. In Romania, on the background of the decline of Romgaz’ and OMV Petrom’s onshore production, gas consumption will increase and gas exploitation in the Black Sea will be necessary. Romania’s consumption will increase by over 8 billion cubic meters (bcm). At Transgaz level, on the government’s program for connecting the localities to the gas sector, the consumption will increase by about 4,4 bcm. We have demands of more than 3,5 bcm on the electricity side on cogeneration and we are waiting for further requests for new industrial production capacities to be put into operation. We need Romgaz to increase its production both onshore, and I emphasize this aspect, as well as offshore”, specified Ion Sterian.

The completion of the BRUA project was welcomed by Christina Verchere, CEO of OMV Petrom, “BRUA is a great success of Transgaz, it is fundamental that the gas pipeline could be completed, it is fundamental for Romania’s energy security. We are thinking primarily of exports, but also of imports, so that the market is supplied at the best level,” Christina Verchere said.

The third edition of the Romanian International gas Conference – RIGC, with the theme of the “European Green Pact and the future of natural gas”, runs as an online format between November 23 and November 26. More information HERE!