No changes to the offshore law will be required to export Black Sea gas. This is for the simple reason that we will not deal with them. Romania does not have a strategy for the development of large gas-consuming industries such as chemical fertilizers or pharmaceuticals. The projects of large gas-fired power plants in Turchany, Ishalnytsia and Mintia are behind schedule and will not be ready on time. Instead, the Austrians and Hungarians are eager to buy Black Sea gas.

Two months ago, a delegation from Austria, led by the head of OMV, arrived in Romania to demand changes to the Offshore Law, according to which gas extracted from the Black Sea will be used in Romania with priority. We will not change any law, – Prime Minister Marcel Čolaku said with patriotism at the time.

MEP Rares Bohdan also stated: “OMV representatives will come tomorrow to meet with Romanian government officials to revise the offshore law so that OMV Petrom, which is part of the Neptun Deep project, can sell through shares. exchange in Vienna more than 50% of the gas to be sold by the Romanian state. If Romanian government officials accept this, I consider it an extremely serious matter.”

Meanwhile, the government’s discourse has changed to “I would be happy for the gas to remain in the country” and “I don’t see a problem in negotiations with those interested,” as Energy Minister Sebastián Bourduilla recently stated.

“I would be happy for us to be a leader, a guarantor of stability and energy security in the region,” he said at the Gas Forum organized by Financial Intelligence.

“If we have additional gas, I don’t see any problem in negotiating with those interested and having the best offers, so that we get the money that Romania deserves for this gas, and why not, to compensate for the dependence on other states of Russia with its dependence on Romania, I think no one would be upset.”

Burduzha also said several times that in order to use gas in the country, we need to launch a strategy for the development of gas-consuming industries, such as chemical and pharmaceutical.

“Gas from the Neptune Deep is subject to offshore legislation and Romania has the first option on this gas and it is a closed discussion to cover all domestic needs. And we will aim to invest in the fertilizer industry and the pharmaceutical industry by 2027 to extract this gas, not just export it,” he said on November 8.

According to the minister, the huge Neptun Deep field in the Black Sea is expected to produce 10 billion cubic meters of gas per year, which is twice the current consumption of the country.

The first gas from Neptun Deep will be produced in 2027-2028, which is four years from now, which is a very short time to build something, so this “extremely serious problem”, as Raresh Bohdan calls gas exports, will naturally arise.

We do plan to build gas power plants in Turcheny, Ishalnica and Mintia, but these projects are delayed, as the Minister of Energy also admitted.

In addition, less and less can be counted on European money for gas projects, which the Brussels authorities consider non-priority.

Who monitors the gases in the Black Sea

In contrast, the Austrians and Hungarians still base their energy balance on imported gas.

“We extract 1.5 billion cubic meters in Hungary and import 8.5 billion cubic meters,” Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjártó said in Bucharest two weeks ago.

“We see the Neptun Deep project as a great chance and opportunity for us to diversify our sources. We want to sign a new contract for the transportation of gas from the Neptun Deep project,” said the Hungarian official.

Hungary signed a contract with OMV to receive gas from Neptune’s Deep earlier this year, but the project has been delayed and the final decision to invest in Neptune’s perimeter came only last summer.

Sijarto also lobbied to increase the capacity between the two states “as much as possible”.

The Hungarians make fun of us for not having a strategy

Hungarians have long had their eye on gas from the Romanian Black Sea.

One of the most memorable episodes is a press conference organized in Bucharest five years ago by the Hungarian gas company FGSZ, where the company’s managers made ironic statements about the lack of strategy in Romania.

“You don’t have petrochemicals, you can’t use natural gas as a feedstock. What do you do with the gas? Are you burning it by making a big fire?” said Christoph Terhes, president of the FGSZ.