Bucharest, April 26, 2024 – RBJ – Romania’s National Gas Transport Company – Transgaz SA – and the Turkish company Kalyon Insaat Sanayi ve Ticaret Anonim Sirketi today organized the launch ceremony of the construction of the natural gas pipeline from the Black Sea related to the “Seaside” project Negre-Podișor”, a particularly important project from the perspective of ensuring the energy security of Romania and the region.
The event was attended by the Vice President of Turkey, Cevdet Yilmaz, the Deputy Prime Minister of Romania, Marian Neacşu, the General Director of Transgaz, Ion Sterian, as well as members of the management of the Kalyon company.
The pipeline will allow gas extracted from the offshore perimeters of the Black Sea to access the National Natural Gas Transport System.
“When the works are completed, this pipeline is important for Romania because it takes gas from the Black Sea, it is important for the other states in eastern and central Europe because it takes part of the gas after the Vertical Corridor, starting with the Caspian Sea, with LNG terminals from Turkey and LNG terminals in Greece. In this way, Romania will become – this is already felt, an important gas hub for central, eastern Europe and the Balkans”, said Ion Sterian, Transgaz general manager on the occasion of this event which took place in Dragalina, Călăraşi county. The works are executed as the main contractor by Turkish companies, the value of the contract being 1,398,651,158.6 lei, excluding VAT. For his part, Murathan Kalyoncu, president of Kalyon Inșaat, stated that: “This project is of strategic importance to meet the gas needs of the EU. For this project we will hire 1,200 people and subcontract companies from Romania”.
Romanian companies are also working on this important project, as the Transgaz director pointed out, this being very important for the Romanian economy, considering the very large investment. Thus, the Romanian company CIS Gaz is working as a subcontractor on this pipeline, working on 131 km (40%) of the entire 308 km route. Also, within this project, 1,000 tons of pipe from Liberty Galati will be integrated, the contract to be signed in the next period. The order to start the works was given in June 2023 and the works will be completed in June 2025.
The Black Sea – Podișor natural gas transport pipeline has a length of 308.4 km and will be built in two sections, as follows:
-Tronsul I, Black Sea – Amzacea, 32.5 km long;
-Section II, Amzacea – Podișor, 275.9 km long.
The pipeline is located in the southeastern part of the country, and its route follows the general direction from Southeast to West, crossing the counties of Constanța, Călărași and Giurgiu on a number of 42 Territorial Administrative Units.
Through the implementation of this project, the following objectives will be achieved:
diversification of natural gas supply sources for consumers in Romania
-reducing dependence on gas imports from Russia;
-the transport of natural gas from the Black Sea to the central European markets;
-the development of a transport capacity that will allow in the future the interconnection with pipelines that will have as potential sources of supply liquefied natural gas from the Black Sea coast;
-connection with the new sources of natural gas in the Trans-Balkan Corridor and the Vertical Corridor.
The integrated management of the project is ensured by the Project Implementation and Management Unit (UIMP), an entity that was established within Transgaz.
