Romania Still Deems Nabucco A Priority, Yet Open To New Plans

Boc is leaving for Budapest, Hungary, Wednesday to take part at a meeting on energy issues.

He pointed out that in Budapest, countries in Central and Eastern Europe will insist upon a joint policy on the oil and gas supply and transport, in order to identify alternative solutions to any „energy flow disruption.”

Romania’s Economy Minister Adriean Videanu said Thursday that Russian gas giant Gazprom has invited Romanian state-run gas pipeline operator Transgaz (TGN.RO) to join the South Stream project.

Romania confirmed the interest in participating in the South Stream project and provided the Russian party with the data requested earlier and required to prepare a feasibility study for a possible pipeline route across Romania, Gazprom said in a press release posted on its website.

Gazprom plans to construct a pipeline across the Black Sea to deliver gas in the South European and Central European countries. The capacity of the offshore section of the South Stream will make up to 63 billion cubic meters a year.

The Nabucco pipeline, whose construction is estimated at around EUR8 billion, is scheduled to deliver approximately 31 billion cubic meters of gas annually from the Caspian Sea to Central Europe via Turkey and Romania, bypassing Russia. Romania’s state-run gas pipeline opeartor Transgaz (TGN.RO) is one of the shareholders of the consortium developing Nabucco.