The company Black Sea Oil & Gas will start the gas production in the Black Sea at the middle of next year, and Romania will become gas exporter, said on Wednesday Niculae Havrileţ, President of the Energy Regulatory Authority (ANRE).
“As of next year, a new important source of natural gas, 4 billion cubic meters per year, will be available, it is about the structure of gas discovered in the Black Sea. The operators and investors in the area showed us that, as of next year, on July 1, a new structure will go into production. So basically, from that moment, Romania will also become an exporter, because this structure adds gas to the normal demand in Romania,” Havrileţ said.
He said that it is the Black Sea Oil & Gas company, which leased two oil blocks in the Romanian Black Sea continental shelf, namely Midia and Pelican blocks.
According to Havrileţ in the first year, the output will be of one billion cubic meters of gas and will increase gradually in the coming years up to 4 billion cubic meters per year.
“In the first year, the production will be one billion cubic meters, and in the coming years will increase gradually to 4 billion cubic meters per year, compared to the consumption (in Romania) of 12 billion cubic meters this year and an import under normal conditions between 500 and 600 million cubic meters per year. Basically, from the very first year there will be no need for imports, but we will have to create the conditions for gas export so that this investor should be able to recover the investment,” Havrileţ said.
Black Sea Oil & Gas (BSOG), wholly owned by Carlyle International Energy Partners is an independent oil and gas company based in Romania which operates exploration, development and exploitation of oil and natural gas conventional resources, according to a release from the company.