Transgaz head: This winter's gas imports 30 pct up from year ago because of small stock

The gas stock for the upcoming winter is the smallest in the last four or five years, so that Romania will have to increase imports by 30 percent in order not to cut off consumers, general manager of national gas transmission company Transgaz Ion Sterian told hearings this Thursday before the parliamentary committee inquiring into the activity of the National Energy Regulatory Authority (ANRE). 

"The current stock for the 2017 - 2018 winter is the lowest in the last four to five years, whereas Romania's gas consumption has increased 7 - 8 percent in the past year. Therefore this winter we might need to import a larger gas amount than last year," Sterian said. 

According to him, in the previous cold season, ie from October 2016 to March 2017, Romania imported 1.7 billion cubic meters of gas. 

"For the next six months of winter we estimate imports will amount to over 2.2 billion cubic meters. Mandating storage amounts to suppliers was the task of ANRE," the Transgaz official said. 

He warned that under these conditions, if suppliers don't have enough gas to cover deliveries to customers, the latter will be disconnected from the national gas grid. AGERPRES .