Romanian natural gas transmission system operator Transgaz has informed investors that during the ordinary shareholders’ general meeting on 5 March, it approved funding for the National Natural Gas Transport System Development Plan for 2024-2033.
The plan includes major infrastructure projects aimed at reconfiguring the gas network, which was originally designed to serve large industrial consumers and transport resources concentrated in central Romania and Oltenia. The main goal is to facilitate the transport of gas from the Black Sea and Caspian region to Romania and other regional markets.
One key project is the 308-kilometer Tuzla-Podisor pipeline, set to be built this year. This pipeline will connect the Black Sea to the BRHA corridor (Bulgaria-Romania-Hungary-Austria), enabling gas to be transported to Bulgaria and Hungary through the existing Giurgiu-Ruse and Nadlac-Szeged interconnections.
The BRHA corridor’s capacity will be expanded in phases, increasing transmission volume to Hungary from the current 2.63 billion cubic meters per year to 2.98 billion, 4.38 billion, and eventually 5.32 billion cubic meters annually by 2029. Additionally, the Romania-Bulgaria interconnection is expected to expand from 1.5 to potentially 5 billion cubic meters per year. By 2028, a new 97-kilometer pipeline is planned to connect Romania and Serbia via the Recas-Mokrin route. Of this, 85 kilometers will be in Romania and 12 kilometers in Serbia, with a bidirectional transport capacity of 1.2 billion cubic meters per year.
Another significant project is Eastring, designed to link Caspian gas supplies with Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, and Bulgaria while creating a direct transmission route between gas hubs in the Balkans and Western Europe. The first phase is expected to be completed by 2028, with the second phase extending to 2033, ultimately reaching a capacity of 20 and 40 billion cubic meters per year, respectively.
Plans also include the development of a new LNG terminal on the Black Sea coast by 2028. This facility will handle LNG shipments from the Caspian Sea and the Middle East, with its specifications and capacity to be determined based on demand assessments during the design phase.
