Environmental organizations Greenpeace and Bankwatch accuse OMV Petrom and Romgaz of minimizing the environmental impact of the Neptun Deep gas project, which will become the biggest polluter in Romania.

Greenpeace Romania and Bankwatch Romania published on Wednesday a study developed by the ERCST (European Round Table on Climate Change and Sustainable Transition) that analyzes the climate impact of the Neptun Deep perimeter gas project in the Black Sea.

The study results show that over its lifetime, the Neptun Deep project will be responsible for 209 million tons of CO2 equivalent, an average of 10.4 million tons of CO2 per year.

This amount of emissions would make Neptun Deep the biggest polluter in Romania.

“In the environmental impact analysis, OMV Petrom consultants assume that the produced gas will produce 65,000 MWh per day instead of coal, so it will replace and indirectly reduce these emissions. In fact, electricity generated from coal is three times smaller and is constantly decreasing, considering that Romania has committed to abandon it by 2032. The numbers are manipulated to make the project positive, when in fact a fossil fuel project cannot have negative emissions,” said Raluca Petcu, Fossil Gas Campaign Coordinator at Bankwatch Romania.

Uncertainty regarding gas reserves and destination

“There are a lot of uncertainties with this project so that we can have a complete picture of the environmental footprint. First, we don’t know that this is a warning, and the statements are contradictory,” says Marian Mandru, Greenpeace Romania campaign coordinator.

He reminds that the estimated minimum is 62 billion cubic meters, in the official statement – 100 billion cubic meters, the estimated maximum – 108 billion cubic meters, according to the environmental expertise of OMV Petrom – 138.7 billion, and the Minister of Energy Sebastian Burduja said that the reserves may amount to 200 billion cube.

“So we have fingerprints for every taste,” concludes the representative of Greenpeace.

We face the same contradictions when it comes to the purpose of these gases.

“Everyone has their own version. Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu says that they will bring concrete benefits to Romanians on farms, factories, schools, and hospitals. Former Prime Minister Nicolae Chuke said that they are in favor of petrochemicals and the chemical industry. Energy Minister Sebastien Bourduilla said they will be used in the pharmaceutical and fertilizer industries, as well as for electricity generation and, as a last resort, will be exported. Transgaz director Ion Sterian said that they will be used in the residential and energy sectors, but it will not be enough and we will have to import even more gas.”

NGOs will challenge the environmental agreement in court

As for the impact on the biodiversity of the Black Sea, environmental activists say that there is no public data to analyze yet.

“From what we were told, the Grigore Antipa Institute conducted this study, we asked for the data, but it has not been given to us yet, and we have not found it in the open space,” said Vlad Katuna, a representative of Greenpeace, for his part.

In addition, there is no strategy for the impact on this project of sea mines, which float in the Black Sea and are a real danger, he added.

“There are many problems that are not analyzed in depth, and all of them raise big questions about the capacity of the Romanian state to manage such a project,” he added.

Currently, the project is at the stage of obtaining environmental protection consent, which public organizations are preparing to challenge in court.

This comes after Greenpeace attacked in court the EIA issued for the project in February.

“The approval of the project’s infrastructure on the Black Sea coast was issued without conducting important studies to properly assess the associated risks. APM Constanța granted the environmental approval without an appropriate environmental impact assessment study, without studies of the impact on public health, water bodies, climate change and without a transboundary impact assessment, as required by national, union and international regulations. activists

HotNews.ro has asked OMV Petrom to provide a point of view on the environmental organizations’ claims, which we will publish as soon as we receive it.

According to OMV Petrom’s December 2023 press release, emissions from the Neptun Deep project are at minimal levels, well below industry norms.

The perimeter of Neptun Deep in the Black Sea has an area of ​​7,500 square kilometers and is located approximately 160 km offshore, 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.

Photo source: Dreamstine