Fueling the Future: Romania Emerges as EU’s Top Gas Producer
Romania became the largest gas producer in the European Union, with a production of 2.3 billion cubic meters in the second quarter.
The information was presented by the Minister of Energy, Sebastian Burduja, published in a post on the Facebook page.
He said that this is the first time that Romania has become the most important producer of the EU: “For the first time, Romania has already become the largest gas producer in the European Union. The data is for the second quarter of 2024 and confirms the leading status we have assumed at European level, with a production of 2.3 billion cubic meters of gas. We “drained” the Netherlands, which recorded a production of 2.2 billion cubic meters. Compared to last year, Romanian gas production increased by 1%”.
Sebastian Burduja said that Romgaz had a 5% higher production compared to the same period last year: “The big credit goes to Romgaz, the company in the portfolio of the Ministry of Energy, which had a 5% gas production is higher after six months, compared to the same period last year. They produced 7 new wells this year, including the 100 wells produced in just 75 days the investment plans continue. In 2024, Romgaz will allocate 600-800 million lei to increase Romanian gas production (in 6 months, 1.25 billion lei, including the investment in Neptun Deep)”.
Among the lowest prices in Europe
Minister Sebastian Burduja claims that Romanians pay among the lowest gas prices in Europe: “During the same period, Romanians benefited from the fourth cheapest gas price, according to Eurostat data. And from 2027, through deep sea gas from the Black Sea, we will effectively double our gas production in Romania. We will have an even better price for gas, we will attract even more investment in the economy, and we will support the whole region to reduce its dependence on Russian gas.”
The minister also spoke about the objections filed by the Greenpeace organization regarding the Neptun Deep project: “I understand that our results and plans have upset many people. Recently, a non-governmental organization tried to block the Neptun Deep project, saying that there are ancient remains on the seabed 160 km from the Black Sea coast, in the field of gas exploitation, on the seabed … We are ready to complete it all these strategic investments, no matter how many interests I bother The total investments are billions of euros and they have been prepared and approved according to the book. Romanians’ energy independence is non-negotiable.”
The perimeter of Neptun Deep has an area of 7,500 km. SQUARE
Romania’s position as a leader in the EU regarding the extraction and distribution of natural gas will be strengthened following the “Neptune Deep” project, carried out by OMV and Romgaz. This is the largest natural gas project in Romania’s Black Sea area and the largest development project in the portfolio of the ROMGAZ group.
“The perimeter of Neptun Deep in the Black Sea has an area of 7,500 km2 and is located approximately 160 km from shore, in waters between 100 and 1,000 meters deep.
Since 2008, exploration activities in the Neptun Deep perimeter have included two 3D seismic acquisition campaigns and two exploration drilling programs, with eight exploration and appraisal wells drilled.
The first gas discovery took place in 2012, when the Domino-1 well, the first exploration well in deep waters in Romania, confirmed the presence of natural gas”, said a Romgaz press release.
Ten wells and three subsea production systems
The “Neptune Deep” platform will generate its own electricity to operate.
“The development of commercial fields includes an infrastructure consisting of 10 wells, 3 subsea production systems and associated gathering pipelines, an offshore platform, the main gas pipeline to Tuzla and a gas metering station. The platform generates its own electricity, operating to the highest standards of safety and environmental protection. The entire infrastructure will be operated remotely, by means of a digital replica (digital twin). This allows the optimization of processes and will contribute to improving environmental performance, by making the use of energy more efficient and reducing emissions”, the press release also states
OMV Petrom SA and SNGN Romgaz SA will invest up to 4 billion euros for the development phase of the project. Gas production from Neptune’s Deep Perimeter is estimated to begin in 2026.