Ukrainian Gas Trader Starts Exports to Romania
US-backed Energy Resources of Ukraine (ERU), a major gas trader in Ukraine, announced on July 1 that it had launched gas exports to Romania via pipeline. The company delivered a trial batch of 2,000 m3 gas using the Trans-Balkan pipeline that runs through Moldova.
The supply was possible under an agreement it reached with Moldova's Moldovatransgaz and Moldova. ERU said this deal would pave the way for the full-scale transit of gas from Ukraine's underground gas storage facilities to Romania and other Balkan markets, under a contract with an international European supplier.
"ERU has become the first company to start operating on the gas transit route to Romania through Moldova, which is an alternate and attractive way to reach the European consumers," ERU's managing director Yarsolav Mudryy said in a statement. "We can see its significant potential as the volume of supplies through the territory of Moldova can amount to 3bn m3 of gas annually."
The Trans-Balkan pipeline has traditionally been used to deliver Russian gas to Balkan markets. But since the expiry of Ukraine's previous transit contract with Gazprom last year and the launch of the TurkStream in January, the pipeline has been idle.