Vertical Corridor Protects Romania from a Gas Crisis
On the occasion of the first winter coordination meeting this year, Energy Minister Sebastian Burduja said that in case Romania needs gas imports, there is a vertical corridor with several countries, which provides this facility.
The minister also talked about the criteria that the energy consumer must meet after April 1, 2025, in order to be eligible for state aid.
“From the discussion that we had at least with our partners in Azerbaijan, we can turn to imports from here. It is true, there is no formal agreement now, but we can resort on these imports. Just think that the agreement was made under exceptional conditions, when everyone was chasing gas. There was no gas on the market. Not the same situation today. Also, since then, there are additional capacities on the vertical corridor, a Romanian initiative of Transgaz, of Mr. Sterian, which can be operationalized so that we can bring gas from Greece, from Turkey, on this vertical corridor.”
As for the criteria that the energy consumer must meet after April 1, 2025, in order to be eligible for state aid, the Energy Minister says there are several aspects that have been discussed at technical level.
“There are several criteria that have been discussed at technical level, in the group that we have already formed with suppliers, with the Ministry of Labour, with ANAF, with the Ministry of Finance. We will present them publicly as things materialize. Fortunately, we have time, we are not in a crisis situation, as happened a few years ago, and it is not Romania’s fault that we have to invent new measures,” the minister added.
The Vertical Corridor, referred to by the Energy Minister, is a component of the 3 Seas Initiative’s (3SI) South – North Corridor and will contribute to the diversification of natural gas sources and increase the security of gas supply to Central and Eastern European and Balkan countries. The Vertical Corridor is an initiative of Transgaz’s CEO Ion Sterian, who has been promoting and supporting the concept since 2016. In the framework of this project, Central and South-Eastern European Union countries (Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria and Greece) together with the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine are working on a new alternative for gas supply in the region. It aims to strengthen energy security in Central and Southeast Europe.
The Vertical Gas Corridor is a large gas pipeline system consisting of existing and future natural gas infrastructure. The corridor includes pipelines, liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminals and natural gas storage facilities. The corridor is seen as a strategic project for the region’s energy security, helping to reduce dependence on a single transit route and diversify gas supply sources.
