Romania's largest natural gas producer, Romgaz, has awarded a EUR 226,000 consulting contract to Schlumberger, the world's largest onshore and offshore drilling services company, to assist in repurposing its depleted gas fields into carbon dioxide (CO2) storage facilities, Economedia reported. 

This initiative aligns with Romgaz's 2021–2030 Development Strategy, specifically its decarbonization objectives, and supports the EU's broader climate transition goals, according to SICAP data.

Schlumberger's role includes creating a universal methodology for identifying suitable fields for CO2 storage, incorporating geological and technical criteria alongside surface restrictions and regulatory requirements.

The project aims to establish a framework for transforming depleted gas reservoirs into storage facilities, enabling Romgaz to offer CO2 transportation and storage services to industries with decarbonization obligations, such as fertilizer, cement, and glass producers.

Under its decarbonization strategy, Romgaz plans to provide an annual CO2 storage capacity of 3.5 million tonnes by 2030, mirroring its current methane gas storage services. This capacity is intended to support companies across various sectors in meeting their emissions reduction targets.

The initiative comes as EU legislation mandates oil and gas producers across the bloc to invest in carbon capture and storage projects with a total capacity of 50 million tonnes by 2030. Contributions are calculated based on each operator's market share in hydrocarbon extraction between 2020 and 2023.

(Photo: Romgaz Facebook Page)

iulian@romania-insider.com