PM Orban attending start of construction works at subsea pipeline under Midia-MGD natural gas project

Prime Minister Ludovic Orban on Thursday attended in the Corbu rural town in the Constanta County the start of the construction works at the subsea pipeline that makes the object of the Midia-MGD natural gas project developed by Black Sea Oil and Gas company, part of the Carlyle Energy Group.

The head of the Executive stated that the project, worth a total of 400 million US dollars, is an extremely important one, with this being the first offshore natural gas deposit exploited in Romania.

"I am honoured to be here today for this symbolic moment when we start a fundamental project for Romania's development. This symbolic moment basically represents the entry of the pipeline into the sea, how it goes from the land towards the sea. Because it does not go directly into the sea, but it goes underground first, under the beach. Basically, this is a symbolic moment that shows the clear will to finalize an extremely important project for Romania, representing the start of exploitation of our first natural gas deposit offshore. (...) Besides the 100 billion that we have invested until now, the value of this project reaches 400 million US dollars, which means that this is a project with great value and very complex, meant to achieve a simple thing: bring the natural gas that exists offshore into Romania's natural gas network so that the gas can then reach the natural gas transmission system," said Orban.

He underscored that the project is also "a very concrete illustration of the strategic partnership between Romania and the United States of America."

"There are two companies involved in this project, Black Sea Oil and Gas, which work in partnership with the Oil Services Group, a very concrete illustration of the strategic partnership between Romania and the United States of America. Black Sea Oil and Gas, owned by the Carlyle Group, has a license for operating and exploiting the deposit, in partnership with another company, Grupul de Servicii Petroliere [Oil Services Group], which is 100 per cent Romanian, a company that has developed of a spectacular manner in the past 15 years and achieved projects in very many areas of our world, complex projects, extremely important projects, which were developed and finalized under the best conditions," Ludovic Orban said.