BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 30. Romania can act as an important transit country for the transport of gas volumes from Azerbaijan, Romanian minister of energy Virgil-Daniel Popescu said in an exclusive interview with Trend.
“Through the gas transport infrastructure, it has – BRUA gas pipeline, Iasi- Ungheni-Chisinau gas pipeline, Trans-Balkan Corridor and the operational gas interconnectors – Romania already functions as an important regional gas supply node. Romania transports gas for Ukraine, for Hungary and further for Slovakia, we transport gas for the Republic of Moldova. In addition to the operational gas interconnectors and the BRUA gas pipeline, the reactivation of gas transport with the exploitation of its full potential on the Trans-Balkan Corridor was in Romania's attention. Thus, at the end of 2021, the operator of the national gas transport system TRANSGAZ has completed all the necessary works to ensure the reverse flow at the entrance to the Trans-Balkan Corridor in Romania, so that it can take over the volumes of gas required not only for Romania, but also for other states in the region,” the minister said.
He pointed out that Romania supported the Solidarity Ring project and signed in Sofia the Memorandum on encouraging cooperation between transport and system operators from Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary and Slovakia and SOCAR.
“The objective of this Memorandum is to ensure unrestricted and uninterrupted access to natural gas produced in Azerbaijan or available through terminals in Greece or Turkey, thus allowing the provision without difficulty of additional gas volumes to the states in the region. The MoU is open for other states in the region to join, such as the Republic of Tükiye, the Republic of Moldova or Ukraine, because interconnection has proven to be not only a measure of solidarity, but a valuable tool for ensuring energy supply and security. It is important to note that the European Commission supports member states in their diversification efforts. This message was expressed by EU Commissioner Kadri Simson on the occasion of signing of this Memorandum, underlining the importance of this document which will provide a framework for the further development of alternative routes for gas supply in the region,” added Virgil-Daniel Popescu.
The minister went on to add that diversification of sources and supply routes is the key to strengthening national and regional energy security.
“That is why I want to emphasize the importance of the Trans-Balkan Corridor in the current regional energy context. This Gas Corridor, used to its maximum potential through the operationalization of the Solidarity Ring project, can represent an important supply route for many countries in the region. By using the infrastructure of the Trans-Balkan Corridor on its territory, Romania can act as an important transit country for the transport of gas volumes from Azerbaijan, but also from the Turkish or Greek terminals, to many countries in the South-Eastern Europe and the Balkans,” he said.
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