Black Sea Oil & Gas begins authorizing the first energy corridor in the Romanian sector of the Black Sea

Black Sea Oil & Gas SA (BSOG) together with its partners in the Midia Natural Gas Development Project (MGD), Petro Ventures Resources and Gas Plus Dacia, announces the start of the authorization process for an energy corridor in the Romanian sector of the Black Sea along the MGD Project infrastructure.

With a projected capacity of 3GW and a length of 126 km, this first step concerns the authorization of the first energy corridor in the Romanian sector of the Black Sea with the aim of connecting future offshore wind farms to the national energy system (SEN) operated by Transelectrica. Completion of regulatory procedures is estimated for mid-2024.

The infrastructure, the land owned and the legal rights of way, place the MGD project in an ideal position to ensure the energy corridor that will serve the wind production in the marine area and the necessary facilities to connect to the SEN, such as the transformation stations and, if necessary, converters.

The realization of the MGD energy corridor unlocks an essential requirement for the development of wind energy in the marine area of Romania, which will support the increase in energy security and stimulate the production capacity from renewable sources, thus contributing to the achievement of the new climate objectives of the EU and in terms of renewable energy.

Mark Beacom, CEO of BSOG, commented: “Estimates for the production of wind energy from fixed installations in the Romanian sector of the Black Sea are very promising. However, one of the biggest challenges of developing an offshore wind farm is trying to secure and then authorize an energy corridor from the offshore production facilities to the SEN. Crossing highly regulated areas on land and water such as protected natural areas, military areas, tourist areas, archaeological sites and historical monuments, anchorage areas, ports and seaways, as well as securing access to land and obtaining the support of the targeted communities, coexistence with fishing activities and the detection and avoidance of unexploded ordnance existing on the seabed are some of these challenges and the infrastructure of the MGD project has successfully overcome them all.”

The first year of natural gas production from the MGD project exceeded BSOG’s initial expectations by delivering the first billion cubic meters of natural gas one month earlier than planned. March 2023 tests to increase production capacity have been completed successfully, and the company is currently in discussions with the authorities regarding a potential increase in daily production in Q4 2023 by up to 25%.