Hungary Launches Compressor to Import Romanian Gas
Hungary has launched a new gas compressor station enabling it to reverse-flow up to 1.75bn m3 of gas from Romania, Hungarian transmission system operator (TSO) FGSZ said on October 7.
The project was completed at a cost of forint 6bn, FGSZ said, allowing the bidirectional flow of gas at a pipeline crossing Hungary and Romania’s shared border at the Hungarian town of Csanadpalota. The station will contribute to establishing the Bulgaria-Romania-Hungary-Austria (Brua) corridor, a plan to pipe gas from Romania and other sources to central Europe, Hungarian Trade Minister Peter Szijarto said at an inauguration ceremony.
Gas flows from Romania should start in mid-2020, FGSZ said, depending on the progress of Romanian development projects. Romania currently needs imports to cover its gas needs, but aims to become a key regional exporter in the 2020s after commissioning several Black Sea gas discoveries.