OMV Petrom and Romgaz begin drilling first Neptun Deep well

OMV Petrom and Romgaz announced on Tuesday the start of drilling for the development and exploitation of the Pelican Sud and Domino natural gas fields in the Neptun Deep perimeter, located 160 km offshore the Black Sea. The project is progressing according to plan, with first production expected in 2027. Neptun Deep will contribute to Romania’s gas production with about 8 billion cubic meters annually, once production plateaus, the companies said.

“The start of drilling is an important milestone for the progress of the Neptun Deep project – a project of strategic importance for Romania. By developing this project, Romania can secure its natural gas needs from domestic sources and will become an important player on the European market. In addition, the project has a positive contribution to the Romanian economy – it is estimated that it will bring revenues of around 20 billion euros to the state budget, over the life of the project. We are making every effort to implement the Neptun Deep project safely and efficiently, so that we have the first gas deliveries in 2027”, says Christina Verchere, CEO of OMV Petrom.

“We are excited to move on to the next stage of the Neptun Deep project, namely the drilling of the ten wells that will ensure the production of natural gas, of which four on the Pelican South field and six on the Domino field. The first well will be drilled on the Pelican South field located in waters with a depth of about 120 meters, with the gas reservoir being located about 2000 meters below the seabed. We estimate that the drilling works for the ten wells will last until the fourth quarter of 2026,” says Cristian Hubati, Member of the OMV Petrom Management Board, responsible for Exploration and Production.

The anchor structures for Pelican were successfully installed using an advanced offshore drilling technology, CAN-ductor from Neodrill, which minimizes the total environmental footprint of the drilling process. The drilling of the first well is estimated to take approximately 2-3 months.

The drilling will be carried out with the Transocean Barents mobile drilling unit, contracted specifically for the project. Halliburton Energy Services Romania and Newpark Drilling Fluids Eastern Europe will provide integrated drilling services. Halliburton’s international and local experience in Romania will be used in a wide range of services such as cementing, directional drilling and well completions.