Romania fourth in Europe for natural gas production and reserves, says BP report

Anca Alexe 18/06/2018 | 07:58

According to a report by BP, Romania is on the fourth place in Europe for last year’s natural gas production and proven gas reserves.

In 2017, Romania extracted 10.3 billion cubic meters of natural gas. In first place in Europe was Norway, with 123.2 billion cubic meters, followed by the UK with 41.9 billion cubic meters and the Netherlands with 36.6 billion cubic meters.

Globally, natural gas production totalled 3,680 billion cubic meters, a 4 percent (131 billion cubic meters) growth from the previous year.

The US remains the main global producer, with 734 billion cubic meters, followed by Russia with 635 billion.

In terms of proven reserves, the BP report also places Romania on the fourth place in Europe, with 100 billion cubic meters. The top three for reserves is similar to the one for production – Norway, the Netherlands and the UK. Global leaders for reserves are Russia (35,000 billion cubic meters) and Iran (33,000 billion cubic meters).

Last year, Romania had a 15 percent increase in gas consumption, from 10.4 to 11.9 billion cubic meters.

Globally, natural gas consumption increased by 3 percent in 2017 compared to 2016, the largest growth since 2010. The growth was led by China, the Middle East and Europe. Consumption in the US decreased by 1.2 percent.