OMV Petrom has stated that the volumes of gas they import from Turkey under the contract with BOTAŞ do not come from Russia, says relevant minister Sebastian Burduja. Turkey supplies gas from several sources: Russia, Iran, Azerbaijan. But once it enters the pipes, the gas from different sources is mixed, and it is impossible to check from which source it comes. An analysis by Politico.eu in November 2023 shows that the gas that Turkey exports to Romania, Bulgaria and Hungary most likely comes from Russia, as this is the only way to explain the very low prices.

On Euronews Romania, Energy Minister Sebastian Bourduy was asked why Romania imports gas even though its storages are full.

“These are purely commercial calculations of suppliers, and depending on the dynamics of prices, certain situations may arise, as was the case when extracting from storage is more expensive than importing.

It is important to say that there are suppliers, for example OMV Petrom, which has a contract with BOTAȘ (the national oil and gas company of Turkey – no), from Turkey, but in the contract OMV Petrom assured us that there is a clause that it is not Russian gas. Thus, today not a single molecule of Russian gas enters Romania, based on the obligations of these companies. This is a commitment written in the correspondence I had with this company, that there is no question of importing Russian gas.

BOTAȘ also imports gas from Azerbaijan, it is very possible that the gas it supplies to OMV is Azerbaijani,” said Burduja.

One of BOTAȘ’s suppliers is Gazprom, which supplies gas from Russia to Turkey via Turkish Stream.

Other sources from which the Turkish company supplies gas are Iran, Azerbaijan, as well as liquefied gas, which is delivered to ports.

But once in Turkey, it is impossible to verify the origin of the relevant gas molecules.

Gas from Turkey is suspiciously cheap

An analysis by Politico in November 2023 shows that it is most likely that the gas coming from BOTAȘ and exported to Romania, Bulgaria and Hungary comes from Gazprom, as this is the only way to explain the very low price.

The publication refers to the price at which Turkish gas is sold on the Bulgarian stock exchange.

“There is no other gas producer other than Moscow that can sell gas at the price we see on the Bulgarian stock exchange, which has a much lower price than the European market,” said Aura Sabadush, a senior analyst. in the consulting company ICIS.

“We cannot check whether it is Russian gas or not,” says Delyan Dobrev, head of the energy committee of the Bulgarian parliament.

“BOTAŞ can buy more Russian gas and sell it in Bulgaria with documents proving a different origin, because in Turkey they have different gas mixtures.”

A week ago, HotNews.ro asked OMV Petrom for its opinion on the origin of the gas it imports, but the company has not yet responded.

Read also: How Turkey took Russia’s place on the EU gas market together with Putin / Romania will also import gas from Turkey through OMV Petrom

Last fall, OMV Petrom signed a contract with the Turkish gas company BOTAȘ, which allows the Romanian company to import up to 4 million cubic meters of gas per day from Turkey between October 1, 2023 and March 31, 2025.

Annual imports from Turkey will amount to approximately 1.5 billion cubic meters, Reuters reports.

The agreement also provides for the development of cooperation in the field of gas trade, as well as in the field of production, transportation, and storage of green energy, BOTASH said in a statement.

This is the latest in a series of similar agreements between Turkey and neighboring countries. In the previous months, BOTAS concluded partnerships with Greece, Bulgaria and Hungary.

In a statement dated September 27, 2023, OMV Petrom said that the main destination market for the gas is Romania.

Frank Neal, OMV Petrom board member responsible for gas and energy activities: “Natural gas is essential for a successful energy transition. Thanks to the contract signed with BOTAŞ, we provide access to a new source of natural gas for Romania and contribute to the consolidation of the country’s energy supply. In addition, the memorandum will allow to diversify Romania’s access to LNG.”

The gas will be delivered outside of Turkey, through the Malkoklar/Stranja point.

At the same time, the two companies will expand cooperation with the help of a memorandum of understanding in the field of liquefied natural gas, Petrom reports.