“We will remain dependent on oil imports in the future, but this is a global market, and we have various sources of supply. Regarding natural gas, dependence on import is lower, but here too production is declining. The immediate outlook for natural gas is more encouraging than for oil, since there might be some gas in the deep of the Black Sea,” the ANRM official told a seminar.
He added Romania’s gas supply will also depend on the creation of a single global market, like there is for oil.
According to data presented by Patruti, Romania’s secure oil reserves stand tat 54.88 million tons, while geological reserves reach 2.02 billion tons.
Natural gas reserves reach 109.2 billion cubic meters, while geological reserves reach 660.6 billion cubic meters. Each year, Romania produces some 11 billion cubic meters of natural gas.
In addition, geological reserves of pitcoal reach 1.4 billion tons, with an annual production of 2.3 million tons, while geological reserves of lignite reach 9.6 billion tons, with an annual output of 30 million tons.
“We have pitcoal and lignite for several hundreds of years. Both these resources are mainly used for electricity, and less for thermal power,”Patruti added.
Companies drilling in the Black Sea include OMV Petrom (SNP.RO), Exxon, Lukoil, Sterling and MOL.