The Neptun Deep project is progressing according to plan and we will continue to work at full speed so as to start production safely at the beginning of 2027, said Christina Verchere, general director of OMV Petrom, in an interview with Agerpres.
She emphasized that the project is in the phase of awarding contracts and obtaining the necessary approvals, and it is being handled by an international team with experience in deep-sea projects.
Also, according to the company official, OMV Petrom is working on developing a greener and more diversified portfolio through investments in renewables, biofuels, alternative mobility and will invest approximately 3.7 billion euros for low-emission and zero-carbon projects. Following these investments, by 2030, the company would have an installed photovoltaic capacity of over 1 GW, a significant proportion of biofuels and a network of over 500 charging points with alternative fuels.
Christina Verchere also spoke in the interview about the Arpechim refinery, noting that, following the decision to close it in 2011, the intention is to return the land to the economic circuit, given its high potential to be transformed into an industrial park.
“The Neptun Deep project is progressing according to plan and this is very important, both for us, for our partner, Romgaz, and for Romania,
from the perspective of access to natural gas, but also from the economic perspective. After the development plan was approved by ANRM (National Agency for Mineral Resources – n. r.), the contracts for the main offshore installations were signed. We are still in the phase of awarding contracts and obtaining the necessary approvals. It is a complex project, we have an international team with experience in deep-sea projects, we have our partner Romgaz by our side and we have the financial resources to support it. And we also have a lot of enthusiasm”, said Christina Verchere.
“Regarding the sale of gas, although OMV Petrom and Romgaz are partners in the ND project, the two companies make independent decisions regarding the sale of gas. As far as we are concerned, we believe that Romania is an attractive market due to its proximity. Given that the gas market operates on a European scale, we are actively exploring all available options,” added Verchere.
The OMV Petrom group obtained in the first nine months of this year a net profit of 2.548 billion lei, down 72% compared to the same period last year, when it reported 9.156 billion lei, according to unaudited financial data released on Tuesday Bucharest Stock Exchange.
At the same time, sales revenues decreased in the first nine months of this year by 36%, up to 28.526 billion lei, compared to 44.248 billion lei in the period January 1 – September 30, 2023.
In the third quarter of this year, OMV Petrom reported a profit of 1.604 billion lei, 64% lower than the result of 4.510 billion lei reported in the same period last year.
Sales revenues totaled 10.662 billion lei in Q3 2023, down 43% compared to Q3 2022 (18.667 billion lei).