Premium
Senator Ciuca: In about four years, Romania will be able to announce independence in terms of gas production.
Romanian Senate Chairman Nicolae Ciuca said on Thursday that in about four years, in 2027, Romania will be able to announce its independence in terms of natural gas production, told Agerpres.
The clarifications were made at the Government House, during an event occasioned by the unveiling by the OMV Petrom and Romgaz companies of the Neptun Deep project, the largest natural gas project in the Romanian area of the Black Sea.
"In approximately four years, Romania will be able to announce independence in terms of natural gas production. More precisely in 2027, as discussed with Romgaz and OMW. It is a commitment that you have to meet. At the same time, it is an opportunity for us to announce to the citizens of the country that they should not worry about securing the supply of gas, because this gas will benefit the citizens, all the institutions in the country and, of course, there will be a quantity of gas for export to meet the demand of other countries in Europe as well," said Ciuca.
He highlighted the relevance that this new source of gas can have in Romania's industrial revitalisation.
"We need a chemical industry and a petro-chemical industry, so that we regain our role as players in everything that this economic whole means."
Ciuca added that until the completion of the project "there is still a very long way to go," a whole series of measures and decisions being necessary. He said that, together with Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu, he offered assurances that the government would take all the necessary "collateral" measures to support the objective being achieved.
"We will follow the development [of the project] so that it ends on schedule. From my perspective, the only thing I ask of you is to carry the project through, as you have pledged to do. (...) It is your turn to achieve," said Ciuca.
He mentioned that the beginning of gas exploitation in the Black Sea is included in the governing agenda of the ruling coalition.
"Practically, this objective represents an important step for ensuring Romania's energy independence in a security context, in a particularly complicated international context, in which, however, there is political will and executive commitment for this objective to be achieved," said Ciuca.
He also talked about Romania's prospects for becoming "a relevant player, a pillar of stability" in the energy sector in the region and elsewhere in Europe.
