Prime Minister Nicolae Ciuca says Romania is not affected by Russia’s decision to halt gas supplies Poland and Bulgaria, and is banking on Black Sea gas as an alternative to Russian energy.
Gas
„At the moment, Romania is not affected by this decision of Russia to stop supplying gas to Poland and Bulgaria. At the moment, we are extracting more gas than we consume,” Prime Minister Nicolae Ciuca said on TVR 1 on Wednesday evening..
“ We need fertilizers… for Romanian agriculture. … We have enough now to cover household needs, but industry also needs gas,” the prime minister said.
Russia cut gas supplies to Bulgaria and Poland on Wednesday for rejecting its demand for payment in roubles.
‘Blackmail’
The decision, denounced by European leaders as „blackmail” comes as Russia’s own economy is bowed down by wide-ranging international sanctions and as Western countries increase arms shipments to help Ukraine fend off a new Russian assault in the east.
Polish President Andrzej Duda said the move violated „basic legal principles”. Bulgarian Energy Minister Alexander Nikolov said gas was being used as a „political and economic weapon”.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov denied Russia was engaging in blackmail. He did not say how many countries had agreed to switch to paying for gas in roubles.
Black Sea
Romania is seeking to tap gas reserves from Black Sea drilling after Parliament passed a law to allow it to go ahead.
In March, Black Sea Oil & Gas (BSOG) said it would start extracting gas from its Romanian offshore project in the second quarter, months later than planned, Reuters reported.
Gas producers have spent more than a decade and billions of dollars preparing to tap Romania’s estimated 200 billion cubic meters in the Black Sea. The projects were put on hold when an additional offshore tax was introduced.
Gas reserves
Romania’s estimated gas reserves are a fraction compared with Russia’s, but could be useful for the region and bring the government billions of dollars in revenue.
“We must admit that Romania is a lucky country, having this very important resource at the moment,” the prime minister said.
Romania to get Black Sea gas this summer, energy minister promises
