Romania's Transgaz plans to inject Black Sea offshore gas into the pipeline to Ukraine

Romania's state-controlled company Transgaz has required the environmental permit to build a connection between the pipeline that brings Black Sea offshore gas to the national grid and the BRUA pipeline (Tuzl-Podisor), and the pipeline that connects the southern part of the continent (Greece-Bulgaria) with Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova (pipelines T2 and T3), Economedia.ro announced.

The north-south vertical pipeline has been used to bring gas from Russia through Ukraine towards Bulgaria in the past, but after Ukraine banned the transit in this sense, it is being used to bring gas from Turkey (supposedly partly of Russian origin) towards Romania and the Republic of Moldova.

The Tuzla-Podișor connection with T2 and T3 thus allows Black Sea gas to enter not only the domestic grid, but also Romania's main interconnector, historically, where gas now flows in only one direction, to Ukraine.

"This is a somewhat unusual development, as we knew that Black Sea gas is mainly destined for the Romanian market and only the surplus could be exported, but only if the Romanian state, through the State Reserves, does not exercise its pre-emptive right to purchase it, established by law," Economedia.ro commented, reflecting public debates on the use of the Black Sea offshore gas.

(Photo source: Inquam Photos/George Calin)