An alternative to Russian gas: preparations are underway to launch a major field in the Black Sea
5 May 19:45
Work has begun on laying pipelines for the Romanian Neptun Deep Black Sea gas project, one of the European Union’s most important energy fields. Its reserves are estimated at 100 billion cubic meters of recoverable gas. This was reported by Reuters, as cited by "Komersant Ukrainian".
“Once gas production begins in 2027, Neptun Deep will double Romania’s gas output and likely turn it into a net exporter at a time when the EU is phasing out Russian gas. It will also supply gas to Germany and Moldova, while other European countries, such as Slovakia, are showing interest,” the publication states.
The project is a joint venture between OMV Petrom, majority-owned by Austria’s OMV, and the Romanian state-owned company Romgaz.
“Two ships owned by the Italian company Saipem will lay 160 kilometers of pipeline from offshore wells to the mainland, where work on the gas metering station is in full swing,” the publication states.
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OMV Petrom Senior Executive Director Christian Hubati stated that the pipeline installation will take two months, and construction of the plant will be completed by summer.
“The fact that we have begun installing (the pipeline) shows that we are on schedule with this project,” said Romgaz CEO Razvan Popescu.
The company still needs to drill six deep-water wells. Parts of the production platform are being built in Indonesia and Italy, and their delivery is scheduled for the end of this year.
The Black Sea, which is crucial for the supply of grain, oil, and petroleum products, as well as a site for offshore drilling projects, is shared by Bulgaria, Romania, Georgia, Turkey, and Ukraine, as well as Russia, Reuters reports.
As reported, Naftogaz of Ukraine, which discovered “significant” gas reserves on the Black Sea shelf prior to Russia’s invasion, is in talks with Romania’s OMV Petrom to form a partnership in this sector.
In January, the Turkish state-owned company Turkish Petroleum signed a $425 million contract with the Italian engineering group Saipem as part of the continued development of Turkey’s largest natural gas field, Sakarya, in the Black Sea.
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