Romania to double gas storage capacity to 50% of annual consumption

Romania’s energy market regulator ANRE passed a series of regulations that will result in investments worth over RON 16 billion (EUR 3.36 billion) made by power and natural gas companies over the next five years, ANRE president Dumitru Chiriţă announced at an energy conference on Monday, October 7.

The investments will go into gas and electricity transport and distribution infrastructure and in increasing Romania’s natural gas storage capacity, Chirita said, quoted by Economica.net.

He explained that the authority intends to double the storage capacity, which currently stands at 3.1 billion cubic metres (bcm), to over 6 bcm, which covers more than half of Romania’s annual gas consumption.

"I appreciate that in the next period, two to three years, [the storage capacity] should double. At least double, [in order] to have a security in natural gas supply far beyond what we have today," said Chiriţă.

Currently, Romania has 2.8 bcm of gas in storage, 0.6 bcm above the mandatory reserves, but the capacities will be full by the end of the month, he added.

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