Romanian natural gas transmission system operator Transgaz informed that on Thursday 12 January, the national gas transmission system was in a state of imbalance, as the gas volumes in the pipelines are below minimum for normal functioning.
According to statement from Transgaz, line pack indicator, the actual amount of gas in a pipeline or a distribution system, was at 34.5 million cubic meters, while the optimum state is 41 +/- one million cubic meters. Normal state is considered within range of 38 and 44 million cubic meters, which means that system was imbalanced on Thursday. The amounts below 33 million cubic meters are considered risky.
Last week, Minister of Energy Florian-Toma Petcu said that Romania will reach a record high in gas consumption in the following days, estimated at 72 -74 million cubic meters per day, of which 16 million cubic meters will be secured from imports. About 28 million cubic meters of gas are secured from the current domestic production of Romgaz and OMV Petrom, while 26 million cubic meters will be provided from the stored gas reserves for the winter.