Romania takes steps to increase gas production. It should soon become an exporter

With Russian gas supplies declining in recent years, a trend further reinforced by the recent end of gas transit through Ukraine, Europe’s energy security has become a frequent topic of discussion. The development of local natural gas production is progressing very slowly and on a limited scale, but new projects are on the horizon. One of them is the Neptun Deep gas field, which is expected to enable Romania to become a gas exporter. The companies behind the project announced this week that they had started drilling a few days ago.

Romania is one of the EU countries that could become independent of natural gas imports in the near future. The development of production from the Neptun Deep gas field, located beneath the Black Sea, is expected to ensure this independence. The field, whose development rights are held by OMV Petrom and state-controlled Romgaz, contains around 100 billion cubic metres of gas.

The project developers announced this week that they had started drilling last Sunday. Production from the field, which should further help reduce dependence on gas imports, could begin in 2027. Romania’s energy ministry previously said, according to Reuters, that the Neptun Deep field should help the country double its domestic gas production. This should make Romania a net exporter in the coming years.

Romania currently produces around 9 billion cubic metres of gas a year, while domestic demand is around 10 billion. Gas consumption in the country is likely to grow in the coming years as gas-fired power plants are built to replace coal. According to the energy ministry, it is expected to increase by around 25% between 2025 and 2030 compared with 2023 levels.

"On the other hand, we estimate that domestic production will increase by at least 75% from 2027, meaning volumes will be available for export, fulfilling the strategic objective of making Romania a provider of energy security in the region," Sorin Elisei of Romania’s energy ministry said, according to Reuters.

According to Eugenia Gusilov, an analyst at the Romanian Energy Center, the local market cannot absorb the entire increase in production. The country could therefore export four to five billion cubic metres of gas a year, she said.