The European Commission said Friday it has made commitments offered by Transgaz legally binding under EU antitrust rules by underinvesting in or delaying construction of infrastructure for gas exports, applying interconnection tariffs for gas exports that made exports commercially unviable, and using unfounded technical arguments as a pretext for restricting exports.
Th EC started a formal investigation in June 2017 to assess whether Transgaz infringed EU antitrust rules by restricting exports of natural gas from Romania.
Transgaz has committed to make available minimum export capacities of 1.75 billion cubic meters per year at the interconnection point between Romania and Hungary. This capacity is equivalent to around one sixth of Hungary’s annual gas consumption.
It has also pledged to make available minimum export capacities totaling 3.7 billion cubic meters per year at two interconnection points between Romania and Bulgaria. This capacity covers more than half of Bulgaria and Greece’s annual gas consumption.
Transgaz must also ensure that its tariff proposals to the Romanian national energy regulator (ANRE) will not discriminate between export and domestic tariffs, to avoid interconnection tariffs that would make exports commercially unviable, and has committed to refrain from using any other means of hindering exports.
“Transgaz has committed to make available capacities at interconnection points for increased natural gas exports from Romania to Hungary and Bulgaria. This will promote the free flow of gas at competitive prices in South Eastern Europe and is a further step towards a single European energy market. Consumers across the region will benefit from greater security of supply of a key transition fuel towards the ultimate objective of an emissions free energy mix, in line with the European Green Deal,” said Margrethe Vestager, Commission Executive Vice-President in charge of competition policy.
Romania is the second largest natural gas producer in the EU (after the Netherlands) and has significant gas reserves, including recent discoveries in the Black Sea.