Romgaz claims the amount of imported natural gas rose this morning by 10%

State-run gas supplier Romgaz declared this morning that talks with gas providers helped improve the supply of imported natural gas, which now stands 20 percent below the usual level, versus the 30 percent decrease it registered yesterday, according to the company director Francisc Toth.

Toth added that the temporary shut down of the Azomures chemical plant, one of the country's largest gas consumers, is bound to act as a positive element, but that the situation after the plant resumes production on January 12 is still unpredictable. Romgaz supplies the plant with some 40 million of cubic meters of gas every day.

Toth mentioned that Romania always counts on a winter emergency plan to be called upon should the gas consumption increase. He insured that Romgaz is capable of compensating any decrease of gas imports by using gas deposits and that consumers will not be affected. The same insurance was given by the Transgaz director, Ioan Rusu, who declared that Romania is braced against a drop in gas pressure as it will use the gas accumulated during the summer in the Romgaz deposits.

The Minister of Economy, Adriean Videanu, declared yesterday that Romania will have no problems supplying natural gas to consumers as it has enough reserves to face the 32 percent cut in Russian deliveries, likely to last for another week.

Romania consumes yearly about 17-18 billion of cubic meters of gas, two thirds of which are provided by the largest oil and gas company in the country, Petrom and by the state-run gas producer Romgaz. The remaining third is imported from Russia, from the world's biggest gas producer, Gazprom. The daily input of Russian gas amounts to 10 million metric cubes, but on January 2 it decreased by 3 million cubic meters.

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