Slovakia Interested in Gas From Offshore Romanian Neptun Project

Slovakia is interested in receiving gas from Romania's Neptun Deep offshore project, with its supplies of Russian deliveries set to end next year, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico said on Friday.

"We expressed interest and said that if Romania intends to export this gas outside its own territory - that is, not use it only for its own consumption - Slovakia offers to use existing infrastructure and we will be interested in this gas on a commercial basis," Fico said in a televised briefing with Romanian Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan in Bucharest.

Hungary and Germany also are among the countries interested in gas from the Black Sea project, a Romanian official said last month, although it is hoped that the Romanian economy would use up as much of it as possible.

Neptun Deep is one of the European Union's most significant gas deposits, with an estimated 100 billion cubic metres of recoverable gas.

Jointly owned by Romanian oil and gas group OMV Petrom and state-owned gas producer Romgaz, the project is on track to deliver its first gas in 2027.

Slovakia has remained reliant on Russian oil and gas supplies despite EU efforts to end its energy dependence on Moscow, following Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

The EU is planning to phase out Russian gas imports by late 2027.

Slovakia took about a third of its gas from Russia last year, but is seeking to boost that level before the EU ban takes effect.

(Reuters)