Romania is the third least dependent EU member state on energy imports

Romania ranks 26th among the 28 European Union member states in terms of energy dependency, energy imports covering only 22.3 percent of national consumption in 2016, Eurostat data show.

The energy dependency of the EU stood at 53.6 percent in 2016.

According to EU official data, Estonia (with dependency rate of 6.8 percent) was the member state least dependent on imported energy, ahead of Denmark (13.9 percent), Romania (22.3 percent), Poland (30.3 percent), Sweden (31.9 percent) and the Czech Republic (32.8 percent).

“At the opposite end of the scale, the highest energy dependence rates were registered in Malta (slightly over 100 percent because of the build-up of stock), Cyprus (96.2 percent) and Luxembourg (96.1 percent), followed by Italy (77.5 percent), Lithuania (77.4 percent) and Belgium (76 percent),” Eurostat said.

Overall, the energy dependency in the EU was higher in 2016 than in 2000. Since 2004, energy dependency in the EU has been above 50 percent, with the highest rate recorded in 2008 (54.5 percent).

Eurostat defines the energy dependency rate as net energy imports divided by gross inland energy consumption (which includes stock changes) plus fuel supplied to international maritime bunkers, expressed as percentage.

Romania’s energy imports include mostly oil and gas. But within the next five years, players say Romania will become a major producer and exporter of natural gas, due to its offshore reserves in the Black Sea exclusive economic zone.