Black Sea Oil & Gas SA (BSOG), together with its partners in the Midia Natural Gas Development Project (MGD), Petro Ventures Resources and Gas Plus Dacia, has reported the start of the authorisation of an energy corridor in the Romanian sector of the Black Sea along the MGD Project infrastructure, write Agerpres.

According to a BSOG press statement released on Tuesday, of a designed capacity of 3 GW and a length of 126 km, this first step concerns the authorisation of the first energy corridor in the Romanian sector of the Black Sea with the aim of connecting future offshore wind farms to the national energy grid (SEN) operated by Transelectrica.

Completion of regulatory procedures is estimated for the middle of 2024.

The infrastructure, the owned land and the legal rights of way place the MGD project in an ideal position to ensure the energy corridor that will serve the wind production in the marine area and the necessary facilities to connect to the SEN, such as the transformation stations and, if necessary , converters.

Completion of the MGD energy corridor unlocks an essential requirement for the development of wind energy in the marine area of Romania, which will support the increase in energy security and stimulate the production capacity from renewable sources, thus contributing to the achievement of the new climate objectives of the EU and in terms of renewable energy , the company says.

„The estimates of the production of wind energy through fixed installations in the Romanian sector of the Black Sea are very promising. However, one of the biggest challenges of developing a wind farm in the marine area is the attempt to secure and then authorise an energy corridor from offshore production facilities to SEN. Crossing highly regulated areas on land and such as protected natural areas, military areas, tourist areas, archaeological sites and historical monuments, anchorage areas, ports and sea lanes, as well as securing access to the lands and obtaining the support of the targeted communities, coexistence with fishing activities and detection and avoidance of unexploded ordnance existing on the seabed are some of these challenges, and the infrastructure of the MGD project has successfully overcome all of them,” says BSOG CEO Mark Beacom.

BSOG, owned by Carlyle International Energy Partners and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, is an independent energy company based in Romania that carries out operations to develop natural gas resources according to the European Union’s goal of zero emissions by 2050, through the production of natural gas as a transition fuel and ensuring the vital infrastructure for the development of green energy projects.

Gas Plus is the fourth largest natural gas producer in Italy active in the main sectors of the natural gas industry, especially in the field of exploration, production, acquisition, distribution and retail.

Petro Ventures, a private investment group, owns a 20% stake in the MGD project and two natural gas production licenses, the Ana and Doina fields in the XV Midia block – Shallow Water Zone.