BRUA gas pipeline "to be completed in December 2020"

BRUA gas pipeline, which will link Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary and Austria, is to be completed and operational in December 2020, one year behind schedule.

Information appears in Transgaz financial report for the first half of the year.

The BRUA pipeline, which will ensure transport of gas from the Caspian Sea and the Black Sea to Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary and Austria, will not be ready in December 2019, as planned so far. Reasons for the delay include tender procedures, completing and improving the legislative framework, identifying archaeological sites and adverse weather conditions, which have manifested over long periods of time, as well as prolonging negotiations with some landowners or users, Transgaz officials say.

A month ago, more precisely on July 17, Romanian Ministry of Economy has informed, in a press release, that Transgaz has already completed almost half of the pipeline, and the three compressor stations are 80-90 % ready.

Phase I of the BRUA project requires a total investment of nearly 500 million euros, and the estimated start-up period is December 2019.

The European Union has granted 179 million euros for the completion of this pipeline. The Romanian state, through the Ministry of Economy, owns almost 60% of Transgaz shares. The rest are traded on the stock exchange.

Source:RRA.Translated by Miruna Matei