Natural gas supplies to Romania are flowing normally even after Russia invaded Ukraine, Romania’s neighbor to the north and a transit for gas.
Ion Sterian, the general manager of Transgaz, said if the hostilities did disrupt gas entering rom Ukraine, supplies could be re-routed to other entry points, Agerpres reported.
“We don’t have problems with imports from Ukraine. We’ve prepared for every scenario and we can cope with any situation. Gas supplies won’t be affected,” he said.
Analysts say Russia’s invasion of Ukraine represents one of the worst security crises in Europe in decades. It is also expected to have far-reaching implications for the global economy, particularly given Russia’s role as the world’s second-largest producer of natural gas and one of the world’s largest oil-producing nations.
Romania imports 5.3 million cubic meters a day from Russia via Ukraine. National consumption is about 40 million cubic meters a day.
“We’re lucky we have (Romanian company) Transgaz which has done investments in time.The gas is flowing at maximum capacity in reverse flow (both directions),” he added.
Romania produces about 8 billion cubic meters and has a much higher potential output, depending on investment. It plans to diversify gas import routes.
„We are looking at LNG (liquified natural gas), in the U.S., in Azerbaijan. We are analyzing other sources other than Gazprom intermediaries,” Energy Minister Virgil Popescu said this week.
This week, Germany halted certification of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline owned by Russian state-owned gas giant Gazprom, a move likely to raise gas prices in Europe.
