Sursa foto: Unsplash / Junho Kwon
Transgaz and the Ukrainian gas transmission system operator (LLC Gas OTS) have started a project that will allow 290 million cubic meters of gas (3.06 million kWh) to be “pushed” from our transmission system to our neighbors’ from 2026.
The implementation of the project “Incremental capacity at the Ukrainian-Romanian border”, at the point of Medesul Aurit, requires an investment of €335 million, of which €300 million on the Romanian side and €35 million on the Ukrainian side, including the construction of 250 kilometers of pipeline and two compressor stations, one on each side. The amounts are an estimate with a +/- 20% margin of error.
According to the project schedule presented by Transgaz, the project documentation will be finalized and the construction permit obtained in the 4th quarter of 2024. The necessary construction starts in the 1st quarter of 2025 , they will be completed in the 3rd quarter of 2026, when the commercial operation of the system can start.
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Coincidentally or not, the end of 2026 – early 2027 is the deadline estimated by Petrom, the operator of the Neptun Deep project in the Black Sea for the start of gas extraction from the sea, but only if the offshore law is amended in the first months of this year.
At the moment, Romania has a gas link to Ukraine at the point of the Midia Aurit, but only on the way into Romania, i.e. Romanian companies can only import gas from Ukraine or via Ukraine (from Russia). However, not a single cubic meter has been brought in here for years.
The only import route from Ukraine that is used is the one from Dobrogea, Isaccea – Negru Voda. At the time of writing, we are bringing in about 6 million cubic meters a day. From 2020, the Dobrogea route will also have reverse flow capacity, i.e. a reverse flow of gas, from downstream to upstream, from Romania to Ukraine, following investments of €77 million by Transgaz. However, no significant quantities of gas have flowed on the RO-UA direction so far, the only flows being imports.
Romania has gas connections with all its neighbors except Serbia. With Ukraine, via Isaccea and Medieșul Aurit, with Bulgaria, via Negru Vodă and Giurgiu, with Hungary, via Arad, and with the Republic of Moldova, via Iași.
Despite the many connections to the outside world, all imported gas comes from the same source, whether it’s Bulgaria, Hungary or Ukraine: Gazprom. No gas has yet entered Romania from any source other than Russia. This could happen at some point from the Caspian region, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, via BRUA. Theoretically, we could bring gas from there now too, but no country has yet booked capacity on the pipeline line through Turkey to southern Europe and from there to central Europe.
Romania has an annual consumption of about 11.5 billion cubic meters, of which almost 2 billion cubic meters is imported. Production of 9 billion cubic meters could increase significantly, by up to 7 billion cubic meters, once Petrom and Romgaz’s Neptun Deep project starts.