Greenpeace activists wrote protest messages with yellow paint on the headquarters of the OMV Petrom company in Bucharest on March 27, according to images posted on social networks. 

The protest is directed against the Black Sea natural gas offshore project Neptun Deep, in which OMV Petrom is associated with Romgaz. 

Greenpeace CEE (Central Eastern Europe) Romania Foundation, in February this year, filed a request at the Bucharest Tribunal (file 3490/3/2024) on cancelling the environmental permit issued by the Environmental Protection Agency (APM) Constanta (permit 6/21.10.2019) for the infrastructure of the Neptun Deep offshore project, which would invalidate the subsequent acts regarding the project including the construction permit.

The case puts, in principle, at risk Romania’s largest oil and gas project in the past decades, which is expected to come into operation in mid-2027. The estimated budget for the investments is up to EUR 4 billion.

The deposit is estimated at 100 billion to 200 billion cubic meters. Annual production is estimated at 8 billion cubic meters per year.

The permit for the project, located 160km from the shore, was issued “without carrying out crucial studies for the correct assessment of the risks involved,” according to a press release issued by the plaintiff.

iulian@romania-insider.com

(Photo source: Facebook/Greenpeace Romania)