Works to replace the connecting lines on the import oil transport pipelines that undercross the Danube (Borcea Branch) were completed four months before the contracted term, the investments amounting to over 26 million euro, informs Conpet.
The Minister of Energy, Virgil Popescu, the Secretary of State George Niculescu, the representatives of Conpet top management, the general director of CIS Gaz, Horațiu Sebastian Călugăr and the general director of Horizontal Drilling International (HDI), Atef Khemiri, were present at the event that marked the completion of the works, together with local officials from Ialomița and Constanța counties.
“Today I participated in the event that marked the completion of the works to replace the connecting lines on the import crude oil transport pipelines, undercrossing the Danube and the Borcea Branch. It is an extraordinarily important project, it is a project that practically improves the transport of crude oil from the Black Sea to interior, to the refineries. It is an important project from the environmental point of view as well. The modernization of the national transport system is a priority and I congratulate the people from Conpet for completing this project. Especially since the works were completed before the estimated deadline. This shows that there is determination and seriousness. Romania is an energy hub in the region, and the investments of over 26 million euro made here show that we are serious and reliable partners,” wrote Minister Virgil Popescu, on his Facebook page.
The joint venture contract, whose total value amounts to 26.5 million euro, was concluded on August 30, 2021, with the CIS Gaz Association, as the leader of the association, and Horizontal Drilling International SAS, an international company specialized in horizontal directional drilling.
The execution works (installation construction) started in May 2022 and were completed in March 2023, 4 months before the contracted term.
“Conpet proves, once again, that through the investment programs undertaken year after year, it succeeds in bringing operational safety to the highest level. Through the technical solution adopted, the staged horizontal directed drilling, and through the scale of the works, the project is unique within the company Conpet involved an important financial effort,” said Dorin Tudora, the company’s general manager.
Also the general director of CIS Gaz emphasized that, in a global context marked by the existing instability on the energy market, as well as climate change, the completion of this project will contribute to the security of Romania’s energy supply, in terms of reducing the risks of pollution.
“We are glad that we managed to successfully complete a large-scale project using the most modern technologies available globally,” said Horațiu Sebastian Călugăr.
At the same time, the general director of HDI specified that the completion of this project, through the use of ecological techniques, strengthens the level of security of energy supply in Romania, reducing at the same time the potential threats to the environment.