Energy Ministry: Romania has enough gas for winter

Romania has secured its natural gas reserves for winter and consumers will be supplied with gas in normal conditions, the Energy Ministry said yesterday in a press release. According to the Ministry, in the 2016-2017 winter Romania had 2.3 billion cubic meters of gas in underground deposits, of which it only used 1.8 billion cubic meters. The gas storage for this winter amounts to 2.2 billion cubic meters. The Ministry also said that the main gas producers have stockpiled more gas than they were legally obliged. The Energy Ministry’s statement came after the general manager of the state-owned gas carrier Transgaz said yesterday that the gas stockpile for this winter is the lowest in the last 4-5 years and that Romania will have to increase its gas imports by some 30% to maintain gas supplies to consumers. The Ministry emphasized that Romania’s gas imports are among the lowest in the EU, representing under 10% of the local consumption. editor@romania-insider.com