Romania paid more than any other country in the European Union to import gas from Russian giant Gazprom last year, a report showed.
It paid almost 60% above the average of what other countries in the region paid, Profit.ro reported.
Romania bought 962 million cubic meters, 3.2% less than 2019, according to company figures published in February.
Unlike other European countries, Romania doesn’t have a long-term supply contract with Gazprom and only imports gas in the winter months,
Romania is the second largest natural gas producer in the EU. In 2020 it produced 9 billion cubic meters, one billion more than the year before.
Last year, it produced 16.5% of all the natural gas in the bloc.
Despite being a major producer, Romania still needs to import gas from Russia, especially when demand soars during the winter.
According to a report released by the Energy Directorate of the European Commission, the average price paid by Romania for Gazprom gas was 16.75 euros/ MWh.
That is more than 6 euros / MWh higher than European countries which have signed contracts with the producer, Profit,ro reported on Wednesday.
A single MWh imported by domestic companies from Gazprom was almost 5 euros more expensive than the same unit delivered by the Russian giant to Italian companies.
Italian companies paid the second highest price for gas supplied by the Russians of 12 euros / MWh.
In comparison, neighboring Hungary paid on average 6.3 euro / MWh less while Bulgaria paid by 5 euro / MWh less than Romania.
In 2019, the Bulgarians paid more than any other country in the region.
