Romania imported six times more natural gas on Monday ( January 30 ) than during an average winter day, while the natural gas consumption was 15 percent higher than average, according to Ziarul Financiar newspaper. The country used 68.8 million cubic meters of natural gas on Monday, when the average temperature was minus 14°C. Romania has to import an additional 0.7 million cubic meters of natural gas for each additional degree below zero. The country's gas bill reached around EUR 6.6 million on Monday, according to Ziarul Financiar's calculation.

Romania's natural gas consumption was of 13.8 billion cubic meters in 2010. Up to 80 percent of the consumption is covered by internal sources, while the rest is imported, mostly from Russia.

A cold snap has hit Romania over the last week, causing blizzards and decreases in temperatures. Temperatures are expected to fall to minus 27°C over the coming days.

editor@romania-insider.com

(photo source: Sxc.hu)