Romania still has 1.35 billion cubic meters of natural gas in its deposits (43.4% of deposits' capacity) and will still have over half a billion cubic meters at the end of March, Minister of Energy Sebastian Burduja said. He made the announcement ahead of a freezing wave that is expected to push gas imports to 5 million cubic meters per day, according to the country's gas transport system operator Transgaz. 

"Romania has sufficient resources to get through this winter, even if on certain days it turns to imports, including to support our brothers across the Prut," the minister said in a press statement quoted by Economedia.

The estimates include the gas supplies to Moldova, which is buying from the European market its natural gas necessary for the second consecutive year. Furthermore, the constitutional authorities in Chisinau plan to also supply up to 3 million cubic meters per day to Transnistria, which had received 5.7 million cubic meters per day from Gazprom until January 1.

According to a Transgaz report quoted by Antena3, Romania will have to import over 5 million cubic meters of gas per day to get through this winter. Gas storage facilities have been emptied in recent months, and now the filling rate in the storage facilities is approximately 43%, while in September the filling rate was 100%.

According to Transgaz data quoted by TVR, on Friday, February 7, the domestic gas production was 24 million cubic meters, and 19.8 million cubic meters came from national deposits. Some 12 million cubic meters of gas were imported from Bulgaria. Romania exported 9.4 million cubic meters, of which 1.7 million to Hungary and 7.7 million to the Republic of Moldova.

(Photo: Spflaum | Dreamstime.com)

iulian@romania-insider.com