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The works on BRUA (Bulgaria – Romania – Hungary – Austria) gas interconnector will begin later this year, and the pipeline will be operational in 2020, when ExxonMobil and OMV Petrom will start natural gas extraction from the Black Sea, the Energy Minister, Toma Petcu stated at the public broadcaster Radio Romania Actualitati.
“According to the schedule assumed by Transgaz, the works will kick off in the fourth quarter of 2017 and it is mandatory to be ready at end-December 2019. So, in 2020, it (ed. note the pipeline) must be operational. Also in 2020, Exxon and Petrom will finish in their turn the gas adduction works from the Black Sea offshore,” Petcu said.
According to him, BRUA pipeline is essential to start extracting gas from the Black Sea by Exxon and Petrom.
At the same time, the minister asked Romgaz – the biggest national producer and supplier of natural gas of Romania – to carry out feasibility studies for the development of new gas deposits near the pipeline, and not only, to store gases at a low price during the summer and sell them for exportation in the winter, when the prices are higher.
In this context, it creates a great stability and Romania can become a hub, a major player in the gas market.
“We want to become an important pillar and BRUA creates for us this facility,” Petcu pointed out.
He reminded that a gas hub exists in Austria wherein Romania could capitalise its resources at very good prices.
Just recently, Romanian Ministry of Energy has issued the construction authorization for the gas pipeline from Bulgaria to Austria, via Romania and Hungary, after the project has been blocked at the taking office by the new government.
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