Slovakia seeks gas from Romania's Neptun Deep project
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico expressed interest in gas from Romania's Neptun Deep project today. This aims to replace Russian supplies ending next year.
Slovakia has expressed a formal interest in securing natural gas supplies from the Neptun Deep offshore project in Romania. This move comes as the Central European nation prepares for the scheduled termination of its current supply agreements with Russia next year.
During a televised briefing in Bucharest alongside Romanian Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico highlighted his country's readiness to utilize existing infrastructure to facilitate these energy imports on a commercial basis.
"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.
The Neptun Deep project is recognized as one of the most significant gas deposits within the European Union, holding an estimated 100 billion cubic meters of recoverable reserves. The venture is a joint operation between the energy group OMV PETROM SA and the state-owned producer SOCIETATEA NATIONALA DE GAZE. Production is currently on track to commence in 2027.
While the Romanian government hopes to maximize domestic consumption of the extracted gas, other regional players including Hungary and Germany have also signaled their interest in the Black Sea resources.
Although the European Union aims to completely phase out Russian gas imports by late 2027, Slovakia has maintained a significant reliance on Moscow following the 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Last year, approximately one-third of Slovakia's gas requirements were met by Russian sources, prompting the current push to diversify energy corridors before the regional ban takes effect.
