Energy Minister: Romania is the largest natural gas producer in Europe. We are ready for winter

Energy Minister Bogdan Ivan says that Romania is the largest natural gas producer in Europe, even before starting the extraction from the Neptun Deep project in the Black Sea. With the exploitation of that deposit, at the end of 2027, we will be much stronger energy. For this winter, the minister says that “we are prepared”, as the deposits are filled with 95.5%gas over the EU average.

“Romania is the largest producer of natural gas in Europe. It can meet its own needs and can export. Even without Neptune Deep at the moment, but Neptun Deep is in a straight line, we have data that confirms that there is a very good deposit and, from 2027, we will have more gas produced for Romania, And, at the same time, to develop the petrochemical industry, the industry that is high energy consuming.

The minister confirms that, at the end of 2027, we will be much stronger energy, much more energy independent.

“It is a very clear, realistic target (…) until 2032, I want to install production capacities plus storage capacities of 12,000 megawatts in total at national level. This would mean that we also cover the current consumption, but it means that we can bring an industry development, of the economic area with a good energy price, which will automatically go to our energy,”

“We are far above the EU average”

Asked how prepared we are for winter, Ivan said: “At the moment we are prepared for winter, we have already organized three meetings with the winter command.

The minister believes that “we are ready to pass this winter with full deposits, which, until November 1, will reach 100% stored capacities, plus we also have technical reserves and transit areas, which still means about 2-3% extra over our capacity.”

“Somewhere at 3 billion cubic meters we can store today in Romania and use this capacity to the maximum,” said Bogdan Ivan.

In connection with the accusations that Romania exports cheap energy to the Republic of Moldova, while the Romanians pay high invoices, the minister said: “It is a market that trades energy, it is bought and sold by the economic operators. 110, and in August this report was reversed.

The minister explained that “Russia has used the gas, in particular, which produces energy including for Moldova, as blackmail, not only for them, but for the whole European Union and for all the partners from the beginning of the war. What we want to do is reduce the addiction to them. And Moldova was caught in the middle, and to have a good energy, and to have a good energy.