Natural Gas
Romania $4.7B Offshore Gas Project Is Set to Make It Largest EU Producer, Cutting Off Russia
Italy-based Saipem holds $1.75B contract to build nearly 100-mile, 30-in. pipeline in Black Sea to transport gas into European Union transmission network
Semi-submersible drilling rig arrives at Romania port in November 2024 for deployment on the the $4.7-billion Neptun Deep gas project in the Black Sea.
Major work now is underway t0 develop large natural gas fields offshore of Romania in the Black Sea that will make the country not only the largest producer in the European Union, but also a major contributor to European energy security in cutting off supply from Russia.
Set to operate in 2027, the $4.7-billion Neptun Deep gas project will supply 8 billion cu meters of gas per year at maximum production to an onshore metering station where it will enter the national transmission system and connect to other EU member systems..
OMV Petrom, a unit of Austria-based energy developer OMV, and ROMGAZ SA, the state-owned gas producer, which are 50-50 partners in the development project, announced construction start for the nearly 100-mile, 30-in. pipeline from the offshore Pelican South and Domino gas fields. These are estimated to hold about 100 billion cu m of recoverable natural gas.
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“Neptun Deep is a strategic project for Romania and for the energy security of the region. It gives Romania a much bigger stage in the European Union," said OMV Petrom CEO Christina Verchere on May 4.
“In 2026, we will make significant progress … installing the offshore pipeline, subsea equipment and the production platform," Verchere added. The project final investment decision was announced in 2023.
Under a $1.75-billion contract, Italy-based installation contractor Saipem is building the pipeline that will transport the gas from the Neptun Alpha platform to onshore Tuzla, from where it will be indirectly shipped through other EU-backed pipelines to Bulgaria, Hungary, Austria Romania, Bulgaria, Greece, Slovakia, Moldova and Ukraine—systems meant to eliminate Europe’s dependence on Russian gas imports.
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Romania’s new gas exports are expected to have a significant impact on the country’s economy, estimated to generate $20 billion over the course of its lifetime.
The gas fields lie in water depths of 1,000 meters meaning the project requires a full deepwater development system. Project infrastructure also includes includes 10 wells, 3 subsea production systems and associated flow lines, a gas measurement station and one offshore platform to be installed in 100 meters of water and serve as the hub for all subsea wells.
Some of Saipem’s most specialized vessels, Castoro 10, Castorone and JSD 6000, are involved in installing the pipeline and heavy subsea work.
“The installation work planned for this year involves mobilizing a fleet of approximately 50 vessels – up to 10 of which are involved in the pipeline installation work,” said Cristian Hubati, the OMV Petrom executive responsible for exploration and production, in the statement.
Materials and equipment required for the project include 200,000 tons of steel for platform jackets, topsides and subsea structures, more than 100 kms of electro-hydraulic umbilicals, flowlines of 50-70 kms in length made of corrosion-resistant alloy —and thousands of components, hundreds of suppliers and multi-year fabricationmm the project owners said.
Saipem also announced in December a $425-million offshore contract by Turkish Petroleum OTC for three pipelines totaling 153 km as part of the extension of the third phase of the Sakarya gas field development project in the Turkish sector of the Black Sea, with work to be executed in the second half of 2027.
