Romanian gas storage over 80 percent: PM

Bucharest [Romania], September 20: Romania has reached the target of 80 percent natural gas storage set by the European Commission for Nov. 1, the country's Prime Minister NicolaeCiuca said Monday.
"We are continuing the projects already started to ensure Romania's energy independence, such as the extraction of natural gas from the Black Sea, which covers approximately 10 percent of the country's consumption needs," Ciuca said on Facebook.
Romania will have enough gas for the winter, he noted.
The Eastern European country has a storage capacity of over 3 billion cubic meters in six depleted natural gas fields, while total consumption amounts to 11-12 billion cubic meters per year, according to official figures.
It is therefore in line with the European average, whereby a country can cover a quarter of its annual consumption through storage.
Unlike many other European Union (EU) member states that have to import their winter reserve, Romania sends gas to storage sites from its own production.
Before the Ukraine conflict, Romania counted on Russia for 15 percent of its natural gas imports.
The European Council announced on June 27 the official adoption of new rules obliging member states to fill their underground storage facilities to 80 percent capacity by Nov. 1, 2022.
Source: Xinhua