Energy for Romania

The presidents of Romania, Azerbaijan and Georgia and the prime minister of Hungary signed a joint declaration in Baku to support to the Azerbaijan-Georgia- Romania Interconnector project known as AGRI about the transit of natural gas from the Caspian Sea to Europe, bypassing Russia.

Romania’s president Traian Basescu said Europe could benefit from Azeri natural gas in 3 years’ time.


“Based on the evaluations made so far, Europe may be supplied with gas from Azerbaijan in 3 years’ time. The feasibility studies are already under way. Romania is currently conducting a feasibility study concerning the liquefied gas terminal in Constanta funded by the United States government through The Trade and Development Agency. Our American partners may extend this study to the terminal in Georgia, which can simplify things both in terms of funding and the time needed to conduct the feasibility study," says president Traian Băsescu.


Basescu believes the AGRI project is the most competitive in economic terms among all the other options to deliver Caspian gas to Europe, including the European Union’s project, Nabucco, and Russia’s Southstream.

Nabucco, in which Romania is also involved, provides for the transport of gas from the Middle East and Asia to Europe and is meant to reduce Europe’s dependence on gas imports from Russia. Southstream, on the other hand, will carry Russian gas to Europe via the Black Sea, bypassing Ukraine. According to president Basescu, AGRI consists of three stages.



“10 billion cubic metres a year are supposed to transit the terminal in Constanta in phase one, another 10 billion in phase two and then 10 more billion in phase three. This is therefore a flexible project whose costs will be adjusted depending on the demand on the European Union market, on the one hand, and the supply sources, on the other. One thing is certain, though, that the first phase can be ensured by gas from Azerbaijan", says president Traian Basescu.


Azerbaijan’s president Ilham Aliev believes the project will be a success because it reflects the political will of all parties involved and because the necessary natural resources, means of transport and consumers already exist.

In his opinion, the AGRI network for the delivery of natural gas will pave a new way for the development of regional cooperation in the energy field.

According to Azerbaijan’s president, his country will extract 28 billion cubic metres of gas this year, of which it only needs 10 to 11 billion. While AGRI looks like a feasible solution to transfer Caspian gas to Europe, it still needs a lot of financing and a reliable feasibility study.

(Radio România Internaţional, Serviciul în limba engleză).