Romania plans to double its gas supply by developing the deep-water Neptun Deep field in the Black Sea shelf. This was announced on January 20 by the country's Minister of Energy, Sebastian Burduja, following a meeting with Hungary's Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Péter Szijjártó.
Burduja added that the project, which aims to double gas production capacity and meet part of the regional demand, is set for launch in 2027.
"We have already said that we prefer Europe to depend on Romanian gas, not Russian," he emphasized.
During the meeting with Szijjártó, Burduja stressed that Romania is focused on ensuring the region's energy security and ending energy blackmail "from those who have held us hostage for decades."
"In this regard, Romania, currently the leading gas producer in the EU, is working on the launch of the Neptun Deep project in 2027, which will double our natural gas production capacity, enabling us to meet part of the region's needs. Obviously, we will export only what we do not need for domestic consumption and only for commercial purposes — this means more money for Romanians," he said.
Burduja also reminded about the partially implemented BRUA pipeline system (Bulgaria-Romania-Hungary-Austria), which will transport Romanian gas to Hungary and Austria.
"This project is of fundamental importance for strengthening the energy security of both countries and the region as a whole," he added.
The development of the Neptun Deep field is being carried out by the Austrian company OMV, which has already signed an agreement with the German group Uniper for gas supplies starting in 2027. The recoverable reserves of the field are estimated at 100 billion cubic meters, making Neptun Deep one of the largest fields in the EU. Once the field begins production, Romania could become the largest gas producer in the EU.
