Preparations for drilling at the Neptun Deep gas field in the Black Sea are in full swing, and the project operator OMV Petrom has started training a team of specialists. The first well will be drilled next year, and actual production will begin in 2027. Deposits in this perimeter are estimated at 100 billion cubic meters, which is ten times the annual consumption of Romania.

This year, OMV Petrom has planned to invest more than 2.3 billion lei in the Neptun Deep project.

Last year, about 80% of the contracts were signed, and this year, all contracts are expected to be completed. The company will focus on permitting activities and begin construction.

The first well will be drilled next year, and the first gas is scheduled for 2027.

“As part of the Neptun Deep project, we are already training the next generation of operators. We have mobilized people on the operational side, a core that will expand as we reach the operational phase. It is good practice to do it this way, as future operators will have all the information from the inside, starting from the design, execution and testing and commissioning period. We are already preparing for the future,” Christian Hubati, OMV Petrom board member responsible for exploration and production, told a press conference.

He said that the recruitment for this project has already started since last year.

“We have a plan to increase the team, we are bringing in specialists for implementation, operation, design,” he added.

Hubati added that there is a dedicated team that deals with project-related risks such as security:

“This is a team of specialists with extensive international experience, representatives of more than 7 nationalities in the team, who have specific experience of working in deep offshore projects. We have been an operator in the Black Sea basin for 40 years, and we are familiar with what is happening there and, obviously, we are ready.”

Where will the gas from the Black Sea go?

When asked whether negotiations on the sale of Black Sea gas have already begun, the company’s representatives avoided an answer, explaining that it was commercial information.

But they showed that there are prerequisites for some of the gas to remain in Romania:

“We are seeing an increase in demand from domestic consumers in Romania as the grid connection continues. Projects of new gas stations with a capacity of 3.5 GW are also planned in Romania.

We also expect that when the gas from Neptune arrives, Romania will become a country that will competitively produce blue hydrogen on the European market,” said Frank Neal, responsible for gas operations.

He noted that Europe still needs gas and imports significant volumes.

“Romania will be the largest producer of gas in the European Union and will cover part of this need. The time when gas will be replaced by something else is very far away,” says Neal.

What volume of gas is expected from the depths of Neptune

The perimeter of the Neptune Deep in the Black Sea has an area of ​​7,500 square kilometers and is located approximately 160 km from the coast, in waters between 100 and 1,000 meters deep.

Exploration, development and production rights are held by OMV Petrom and Romgaz, each of which has a 50% stake. The project operator is OMV Petrom.

During operation, it is estimated that Neptun Deep will supply a total volume of about 100 billion cubic meters of natural gas.

For comparison, Romania’s current gas consumption is about 10 billion cubic meters per year.

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