Slovakia intends to obtain natural gas from the Neptun offshore project in Romania.

Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico stated on Friday that, as Russian gas supplies are set to end next year, Slovakia intends to source gas from Romania’s Neptun Deep offshore project.

Fico expressed interest during a television briefing in Bucharest alongside Romanian Prime Minister Nicolae Ciucă, saying: “We have expressed interest and stated that if Romania intends to export this gas beyond its own territory—meaning not just for domestic consumption—Slovakia is willing to utilize the existing infrastructure, and we will be commercially interested in this gas.”

A Romanian official said last month that Hungary and Germany are also interested in sourcing gas from the Black Sea project, but they hope Romania’s economy can utilize as much of this gas as possible.

Neptun Deep is one of the most important gas fields in the European Union, with estimated recoverable gas reserves of 100 billion cubic meters.

The project is jointly owned by the Romanian oil and gas group OMV Petrom and the state-owned gas producer Romgaz, and it is expected to produce its first gas by 2027.

Despite the EU’s efforts to end reliance on Russian energy following the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine conflict in 2022, Slovakia still depends on Russian oil and gas supplies.

The EU plans to gradually halt gas imports from Russia by the end of 2027.

Last year, about one-third of Slovakia’s gas came from Russia, but the country is seeking to increase this level before the EU ban takes effect.

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Editor: Zhang Jun SF065