BAKU, Azerbaijan, June 2. Romania hopes for future talks on gas supply from Azerbaijan, Pavel-Casian Nitulescu, State Secretary of Romanian Energy Ministry, said in an exclusive interview with Trend on the occasion of the Baku Energy Week to be held June 2-4.
“As it is my first attendance in Baku Energy Forum, I am grateful to represent Romania this year in such a renowned event. My message towards the regional energy leaders highlights the importance of regional cooperation through strategic infrastructure projects which add to our joint energy security and allow for unhindered flow of energy.
In my opinion, I strongly believe that adequate infrastructure and proper investment are needed to support the safety of our region! To this end, Romania is involved in regional initiatives – such as the Vertical Corridor project and the so-called “Green Corridor”. They represent relevant initiatives that open the perspectives to alternative sources of gas or renewable energy as it is the case with the submarine cable that will link the green resources of Azerbaijan to Georgia, Romania, and Hungary,” he said.
Nitulescu stressed Romania's continued support for the energy security of the region and his country’s openness for continuing fruitful and loyal cooperation in the energy sector with its neighbors as reliable partners.
“Romania and Azerbaijan have a long-lasting relation and, over the years, we have significantly deepened our cooperation in the natural gas filed. I believe that future negotiations for certain Azerbaijani gas volumes to be supplied to the Romanian market will be carried out by the interested companies of the two countries.
For Romania, gas represents a strategic resource and will remain in our energy mix for the years to come, adding its share to a flexible energy system. We have a low dependence on natural gas imports, being in a favorable situation, as consumption is mostly ensured by domestic natural gas production,” he added.
Expansion of the Southern Gas Corridor
Future discussions should be held on expansion of the Southern Gas Corridor, Pavel-Casian Nitulescu said.
“We could not stress more the importance of the Southern Gas Corridor as an alternative gas source for the region. The plans to expand the Southern Gas Corridor are of strategic importance for Romania, as new gas suppliers are needed, especially for the Balkan and South-Eastern European countries. In our view, this could be achieved only by adequate funding in order to put into place the necessary and appropriate infrastructure, as well as for identifying new gas supply sources. For this reason, I believe that future discussions should be held in this framework,” he said.
Nitulescu pointed out that in the South-Eastern and Central European region, Romania has been involved in the development of strategic gas transport infrastructure projects such as the BRUA gas pipeline, the Iași-Ungheni-Chișinău gas pipeline to the Republic of Moldova and functional interconnections with neighboring states and supports, as well, the Trans-Balkan Corridor, which aims to increase energy security in the region.
“I want to highlight that with a production horizon in 2027, developing the Neptun Deep field in the Black Sea, will have a positive impact on the energy market of our country, but also at regional level. Neptun Deep is a project that will strengthen Romania’s role as an energy player in the region, with Romania becoming the largest producer of natural gas in the European Union,” added the state secretary.
New horizons of cooperation with SOCAR
The state secretary pointed out that Romania is open for future propositions by Azerbaijan’s state oil company SOCAR.
He noted that SOCAR is an important company on the Romanian fuels market.
“SOCAR investments in Romania have considerable strategic, economic and social importance. They have allowed the diversification of companies on the Romanian market, contributing to our energy security,” said the state secretary.
Moreover, Nitulescu pointed out that SOCAR contributed to the creation of several hundreds of jobs, whereas investments in gas stations and infrastructure brought regional economic development.
“Therefore, I totally agree that the expansion of SOCAR's presence in Romania signals that our country is an attractive destination for investments and would be very glad to hear about SOCAR’s future propositions,” he added.
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