President Klaus Iohannis received, on Monday, at the Cotroceni presidential Palace, a delegation of OMV Petrom, led by Chairman of the Executive Board and the CEO of OMV Alfred Stern, informs the Presidential Administration, acording to Agerpres.

The topics addressed by the company’s management concerned the activity and investment plans in Romania, with the OMV Petrom leadership presenting the main directions for the implementation of an ambitious investment plan, which also aims at the production of energy from renewable sources, biofuels and the adoption of new technologies.

Klaus Iohannis said that Romania’s energy potential is a special one, but must be substantially supported through investments by operators in the energy sector. The head of state went on to emphasize the importance that must be given to the energy transition, especially from the perspective of innovation, emphasizing the opportunities offered by European funds.

A distinct topic tackled during the talks was the Neptun Deep project, with President Klaus Iohannis reiterating the strategic importance of this project for Romania. He called on the OMV leadership to start offshore exploitation as quickly as possible within the perimeter owned by Romgaz and OMV Petrom, considering that the offshore law is favorable and is in force.

The OMV leadership presented the status of the project and the key steps having been taken, assuming the commitment to adopt the final investment decision mid-2023, so as to start as soon as possible the exploitation of natural gas from the Neptun Deep perimeter.

A series of aspects regarding regional energy developments were addressed during the discussions from the perspective of the impact of the energy crisis on the economy in general, but also on the business environment and the population.

„The President of Romania emphasized the need for appropriate measures to reduce inequities and ensure the support that domestic consumers need, as well as the economy as a whole, to maintain competitiveness in industry and other sectors,” the Presidential Administration says.

In the context of the discussions on developments at the regional level, the intention of OMV Petrom to develop large-scale projects in the Republic of Moldova was also addressed, an initiative welcomed by President Klaus Iohannis, who specified that Romania is willing to provide all the necessary support to ensure an adequate level of energy security in the neighbouring country.

Agerpres