USTDA Strengthens Support for Energy Security in Romania

(USTDA) BUCHAREST, Romania – Yesterday, the U.S. Trade and Development Agency awarded a grant to Romania’s national gas transmission company, Transgaz S.A., a public joint stock company. The grant funds a feasibility study to improve and confirm the technical design and economic and financial specifications for constructing the Romanian section of the Bulgaria-Romania-Hungary-Austria Connector (BHRA) and the Black Sea-Shore-Podisor Connector gas pipeline projects.

The grant was signed at the U.S. Embassy in Bucharest by U.S. Ambassador to Romania Hans Klemm and Transgaz S.A. Director General Petru Ion Vaduva. Also present at the grant signing were the Minister of Economy, Mihai Tudose; the Minister of Energy, Andrei Dominic Gerea; Ambassador Mihnea Constantinescu, Special Representative for Energy Security; and U.S. Deputy Chief of Mission Dean Thompson.

“The proposed upgrades to the Romanian National Transmission Network, evaluated by this study, will facilitate increased bilateral trade and support energy security throughout the region,” said Ambassador Klemm.

“Transgaz believes that this study will be instrumental in providing comfort to all market participants that the integration of the Romanian National Network with neighboring countries will soon become a reality,” stated Director General Petru Vaduva. “This integration will establish the much-needed connection between Southern and Central Europe, while ensuring the security of supply and transparency of pricing in the region.”

The projects are a critical piece necessary to increase pipeline capacity and upgrade the gas transmission network’s operating pressure, and ultimately enhance energy security in the region. Through the modernization and construction of the new pipelines, Transgaz intends to distribute anticipated new gas resources from the Black Sea, as well as conduct bi-directional gas trade with neighboring countries.

This grant builds on a USTDA-funded reverse trade mission in 2013 that hosted 17 Romanian business leaders and government officials in the United States. The visit helped demonstrate advanced U.S. upstream oil and gas production technologies, practices and regulations meant to help Romanian stakeholders plan for the development of offshore resources along the Black Sea.

The opportunity to conduct the USTDA-funded feasibility has been posted to the Federal Business Opportunities (FBO) website. A link to the FBO announcement can be found at http://www.ustda.gov/businessopps/. Interested U.S. firms should submit proposals according to the instructions in the FBO announcement.