Romania imported a quantity of usable natural gas of 1.361 million tons of oil equivalent (toe) in January-September 2024, down 10.9% on an annual basis, data by the National Institute of Statistics (INS) showed. The domestic production of natural gas totaled, in the period under review, 5.635 million toe, up 0.8% y-o-y.
The domestic production of natural gas will increase, between 2024 and 2027, with an average annual rate of 1.7%, following an advance of 1.4% recorded in 2023, according to the estimates of the National Commission for Strategy and Prognosis (CNSP).
For this year a production of 7.675 million tons of oil equivalent is forecasted (up 0.6%). By 2025, production is expected to reach 7.79 million toe (up 1.5%), while by 2026 is forecasted to rise to 7.907 million toe (up 1.5%). By 2027 gas production will reach 8.176 million toe (up 3.4%), CNSP’s latest forecast of the energy balance reveals.
Regarding gas imports, an increase of over 10% is forecast for 2024, after which a reduction trend is expected, with a more significant drop expected by 2027 (down 6%), amid an increase in domestic production through the addition of new capacities.
CNSP estimates for 2024 imports of 2.392 million tep (+11.1%), for 2025 of 2.211 million tep (+7.6%), for 2026 of 2.150 million tep (-2.7%) and for 2027 of 2.022 million tep (-6%).
In Q2 2024, Romania officially become the largest producer of natural gas in the European Union, according to a report by the European Commission. Romania produced 2.3 billion cubic meters (bcm) of natural gas, surpassing the Netherlands, which produced 2.23 bcm, and and Germany (0.9 bcm).
This growth is particularly notable given the overall decline in gas production across the bloc, which saw a 8% decline compared to the prior quarter and an 18% decrease year-on-year.
