Romanian Energy Minister Sebastian Burduja has announced that the Neptun Deep project has reached over 33% completion. According to Minister Burduja, the American drilling platform, one of the largest of its kind globally, has been in Romania for several months and is now preparing to move offshore to begin drilling operations. Located approximately 160 kilometers off the coast near Tuzla, the platform will oversee the activation of ten natural gas wells at depths exceeding 4,000 meters.
The Transocean Barents platform, a marvel of engineering, stands 90 meters tall and is 120 meters long. It is equipped with advanced machinery designed to extract gas under immense pressure. By 2027, or possibly sooner, the extracted gas will be delivered directly to Romanian households via the Tuzla-Podisor pipeline, which is also advancing rapidly, thanks to efforts by Transgaz.
Minister Burduja emphasized the strategic importance of Neptun Deep, calling it a key project for both Romania and the EU in terms of achieving energy independence, ensuring supply stability, and securing affordable energy for both consumers and businesses. He pointed out that Neptun Deep is not only an economic investment but also a geopolitical milestone. This €4 billion partnership between Romgaz and OMV Petrom is expected to generate over €20 billion in state revenue, while producing more than 100 billion cubic meters of gas, effectively doubling Romania’s natural gas output. As a result, Romania is poised to become the EU’s leading natural gas producer.