The government approved on Thursday a decision updating the preventive action plan regarding the measures guaranteeing the security of Romania’s gas supplies, so as to align it with the European relevant regulations.

Energy Minister Sebastian Burduja stated that the updated plan on the management of the gas sector represents „a European obligation and virtually reflects the investment plans of national gas company Transgaz.”

„I’ve said it in a European context too, Romania and other European Union member states cannot give up both coal and gas. That would mean turning off the light bulb for good. Gas is a transitional fuel and Romania is the EU’s largest gas producer, competing with the Netherlands for now, but when Neptun Deep becomes operational we will double our output and be the undisputed leader in the EU, with 18-20 billion cubic meters of annual production. We have gas, we have gas-fueled units, we have ongoing projects such as Iernut, or Mintia,” Burduja said.

He added that the „synchronization of the Navodari investment” – an 80 MW cogeneration plant – has started on Wednesday.

„It’s a project that had been blocked for two years and which we now manage to complete. It is also an investment from the Romanian-Kazakh fund KazMunaiGaz and Rompetrol jointly provide financing to, and thus, with each megawatt we commission and which we connect to the national energy grid, the Romanians get an extra chance to pay lower bills and Romania’s economic environment gets to be much more competitive,” Burduja also said.

AGERPRES