The Caragele gas field is a

natural gas field A petroleum reservoir or oil and gas reservoir is a subsurface accumulation of hydrocarbons contained in porous or fractured rock formations. Such reservoirs form when kerogen (ancient plant matter) is created in surrounding rock by the prese ...

located in Luciu,

Buzău County Buzău County () is a county (județ) of Romania, in the Historical regions of Romania, historical region Muntenia, with the capital city at Buzău. Demographics In 2011, it had a population of 432,054 and the population density was 70.7/km ...

Romania Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...

in the RG06 block. Announced by

Romgaz Societatea Națională de Gaze Naturale Romgaz SA Mediaș (SNGN Romgaz SA) or simply Romgaz is the largest natural gas producer in Romania and one of the largest producers in Eastern Europe. The company is the country's main supplier and responsib ...

on June 30, 2016, it was one of the largest onshore gas fields discovered in the country since 2005, with a length of , depth of , and total

proven reserves Proven reserves (also called measured reserves, 1P, and reserves) is a measure of fossil fuel energy reserves, such as oil and gas reserves and coal reserves. It is defined as the "quantity of energy sources estimated with reasonable certaint ...

of around 986 billion ft³ (28.2 km³).

Sorin Grindeanu Sorin Mihai Grindeanu (; born 5 December 1973) is a Romanian politician who served as Prime Minister of Romania from January to June 2017 when he was removed by a motion of no confidence adopted by the Parliament. He served as ad interim Presi ...

, the

Prime Minister of Romania The prime minister of Romania (), officially the prime minister of the Government of Romania (), is the head of the Government of Romania, Government of Romania. Initially, the office was styled ''President of the Council of Ministers'' (), when ...

at the time, dubbed it "the most important discovery" since the

fall of communism The revolutions of 1989, also known as the Fall of Communism, were a revolutionary wave of liberal democracy movements that resulted in the collapse of most Marxist–Leninist governments in the Eastern Bloc and other parts of the world. Th ...

in 1989. Test production conducted at the gas field in 2016 indicated that it will produce between 8.12 million ft³/day (0.23×10⁵ m³) and 12.76 million ft³/day (0.365×10⁵ m³) of

natural gas Natural gas (also fossil gas, methane gas, and gas) is a naturally occurring compound of gaseous hydrocarbons, primarily methane (95%), small amounts of higher alkanes, and traces of carbon dioxide and nitrogen, hydrogen sulfide and helium ...

and condensates for each drilled well after it begins operations.

History

Work at the gas field started in May 2017, with Grindeanu, PSD leader Liviu Dragnea, and Senate President Călin Popescu Tăriceanu attending the launching ceremony. In January 2020, Romgaz announced that it had boosted gas production by 30% from the Caragele field with the start up of new wells. According to data provided by the Romanian , the Caragele field produced of gas in 2022, making it the 5th largest in Romania in terms of natural gas production, although its full potential remains to be realized. Indeed, the Caragele gas field had by then in gas reserves, making it the field with the largest onshore gas reserves in Romania. According to comments made in August 2022 by Virgil-Daniel Popescu, the then-Minister of Energy of Romania, the Caragele gas field will start full production in 2023; one month later, the deadline was pushed to 2024.

Marcel Ciolacu Ion Marcel Ciolacu (; born 28 November 1967) is a Romanian politician who served as the prime minister of Romania from 2023 to 2025. He was the leader of the Social Democratic Party (Romania), Social Democratic Party (PSD). As a previously littl ...

(originally from nearby

Buzău Buzău (; formerly spelled ''Buzeu'' or ''Buzĕu'') is a city in the historical region of Muntenia, Romania, and the county seat of Buzău County. It lies near the right bank of the Buzău River, between the south-eastern curvature of the Carp ...

, and the current Prime Minister) estimated at the time that Caragele's gas could come online in early 2024.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Caragele Gas Field Natural gas fields in Romania

History

See also

References

External links