Romania is in a much better situation than other European countries in terms of natural gas for the coming period, and in terms of gas storage levels it is above the European Union average, said the Secretary of State at the Ministry of Energy, Cristian Bușoi, in a post published on his social media page on Tuesday.
“Because we are a country with significant domestic production, currently having the largest natural gas production in the EU, a situation that will be consolidated with the start of exploitation, in 2027, of the Neptun Deep project, Romania is in a much better situation than other European countries in terms of natural gas for the coming period. First of all, according to GEO no. 12/2026, the population is protected. There is a regulated mechanism through which producers are obliged to deliver certain quantities of gas from domestic production at 110 lei/MWh to suppliers serving household consumers and to thermal energy producers. The quantities for suppliers serving household consumers and for thermal energy producers have already been contracted, mainly through the effort of Romgaz. Secondly, Romania is above the European average in terms of gas storage levels and is obliged, according to the national and European framework, to constitute a stock of at least 90% of the storage capacity”, Bușoi said on Facebook.
According to the official, in accordance with the new European rules, there is no longer an obligation to reach the minimum level of 90% of the storage capacity on November 1, but at any time between October 1 and December 1, 2026.
“In addition, the member state can go down by up to 10 percentage points (so, practically, up to 80%) in the event of difficult conditions for filling the storages, and the European Commission can allow up to 5 percentage points of flexibility if unfavorable market conditions persist. I know this situation well because, during the period in which I was the chairman of the ITRE committee, I was the rapporteur of the European Parliament for the regulation on natural gas storage. Because there is a possibility that we will have an increase in gas consumption due to the entry into the system of the production capacities from Mintia, Iernut – the new power plant, Constanța and Arad (PNRR projects), as well as the connection of many household consumers connected through the Anghel Saligny program, at the last Gas Command in August “The recommendation has been made to all companies with storage obligations to accelerate the pace and increase beyond the minimum legal obligation,” the Secretary of State stressed.
He also noted that the forecasts and concerns for the coming winter were discussed at length at the most recent EU Energy Ministers’ Council, held in Luxembourg in June 2026, “and we will certainly revisit the subject at the Dublin Council in September, organised by the Irish Presidency of the Council of the EU.”
According to data published by Bușoi, on Tuesday, August 25, the European reference benchmark for natural gas traded on the exchange (TTF) was around 68 euros/MWh, about 16% above the level recorded in July and approximately double compared to 2025.
In the opinion of the representative of the Ministry of Energy, the main causes of this situation are represented by: the conflict with Iran and the disruption of traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, which affected LNG exports from the Gulf, especially the availability of gas from Qatar; strong competition for LNG gas, especially for that originating from the USA, between the EU and Southeast Asian countries; high market prices that made buying gas and storing it for the winter less attractive; the very hot summer and the partial or total closure of some nuclear power capacities, which led to an increase in gas consumption for electricity production.
“The European Union has chosen, correctly, to gradually reduce and eliminate natural gas imports from Russia, through a set of European measures, including those associated with REPowerEU. With all these international and European challenges, which are not in the power of the Romanian Government to change, Romania will get through this situation more easily, thanks to the proactive measures decided by the Government led by Mr. Ilie Bolojan, thanks to the domestic production of natural gas and the support measures for the population”, stressed Cristian Bușoi.