Romania’s energy strategy in the Black Sea is evolving beyond the development of a single resource. The offshore region is now expected to accommodate a wide range of strategic activities, including the Neptun Deep natural gas project, a potential 11.5 GW offshore wind industry, existing oil and gas concessions, military operations, commercial shipping, fisheries and environmental protection. While this creates significant long-term opportunities for energy investment, it also highlights the growing importance of coordinated marine spatial planning to prevent conflicts between competing uses before projects move into construction.
Romania’s draft offshore wind development plan identifies six designated zones covering approximately 4,000 square kilometres. The first phase focuses on three fixed-bottom offshore wind areas with a combined potential of 3.1 GW, closely matching the country’s target of installing around 3 GW of offshore wind capacity by 2035. These sites are located in water depths ranging from 55 to 75 metres, where average wind speeds at a height of 150 metres are estimated between 7.7 and 7.9 metres per second, providing favourable conditions for commercial electricity generation. A second development phase with an estimated capacity of 2.4 GW has been postponed due to restrictions related to military zones, while a third stage planned after 2035 could support an additional 6 GW using fixed-bottom, deep-water or floating offshore wind technologies.
The proposed offshore development areas already illustrate the complexity of balancing multiple economic activities within the same maritime space. Several planned wind zones overlap with the Istria, Midia, Luceafarul and Neptun hydrocarbon concessions, with the largest development area intersecting five existing exploration licences. Beyond the interaction with oil and gas infrastructure, developers must also consider migratory bird routes, marine mammal habitats, fishing activities, shipping corridors, underwater cultural heritage and national defence requirements. These factors will ultimately determine how much of the theoretical offshore wind potential can be converted into commercially viable projects.
At the same time, Romania continues to advance one of its most significant energy developments through the Neptun Deep offshore gas project. OMV Petrom and Romgaz have successfully installed the Neptun Alpha production platform, marking a major milestone for the project. OMV Petrom has continued investing heavily in Neptun Deep despite reporting a 14% decline in first-half net profit to approximately EUR 355 million, while total capital expenditure reached around EUR 375 million during the same period. Once operational, Neptun Deep is expected to become a major source of domestic natural gas, helping offset Romania’s declining onshore production while improving energy security across both Romania and neighbouring regional markets.
Although offshore gas and offshore wind can complement one another as part of Romania’s long-term energy transition, they will inevitably compete for critical infrastructure and industrial resources. Port facilities, fabrication yards, specialised installation vessels, subsea engineering services and skilled labour will all be required by both industries. At the same time, offshore wind export cables and substations require dedicated transmission corridors, while existing gas pipelines and safety exclusion zones restrict routing options for future developments. As a result, carefully coordinated project sequencing will be just as important as the allocation of offshore concession areas.
Romania’s broader energy security also remains closely linked to developments across the wider Black Sea region. More than half of the crude oil processed by Romanian refineries is imported from Kazakhstan through the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC) terminal at Novorossiysk, while domestic oil production supplies less than 30% of refinery demand. Temporary disruptions to tanker operations following attacks in the Black Sea forced Kazakhstan to reduce production until exports resumed, demonstrating how geopolitical and security risks in the region can directly affect Romania’s fuel supply chain as well as the future development of offshore energy infrastructure.
The long-term investment case for Romania’s offshore wind sector will depend on far more than favourable wind conditions or turbine technology. Investors will require a comprehensive regulatory and infrastructure framework, including transparent concession procedures, high-quality seabed surveys, clearly defined grid connection points, adequate port infrastructure, environmental baseline studies, defence coordination mechanisms and an effective support or long-term offtake scheme capable of reducing early project risks. While Neptun Deep has the potential to strengthen Romania’s natural gas security over the medium term, offshore wind represents a strategic low-carbon resource capable of supporting the country’s long-term decarbonisation objectives. If developed through an integrated planning approach, both sectors can complement one another and strengthen Romania’s energy transition. Without coordinated development, however, they risk competing for the same industrial capacity, maritime infrastructure and investment resources.
