Things are quite unpredictable because we are in an international crisis, and by destroying some production capacities, especially in the Qatar region, the price of gas will remain high, and we are facing quite difficult winter and spring months in 2027 in terms of tariffs, stated Cristian Bușoi, Secretary of State at the Ministry of Energy, on Monday.
„We are in an international and European crisis. Things seem to have calmed down, but you see that they are quite unpredictable. A sustainable, definitive solution for the situation in the Middle East and for the Strait of Hormuz has not yet been found. From anything that can happen there, from any incident, from any escalation, we can immediately see increases in international prices again. The international price of oil and natural gas is the main concern at the European level in the energy sector at this moment. Of course, we have reserve stocks all over Europe, but we are affected by a price increase, which has generated and continues to generate chain reactions and inflation. Moreover, most analyses converge that, due to the destruction of some capacities, especially in the Qatar area, the price of gas will remain high, and we are facing a quite difficult winter and spring 2027 in terms of natural gas prices.”, said Bușoi, quoted by Agerpres.".
Regarding the reopening of the Petrotel-Lukoil refinery, the representative of the Ministry of Energy pointed out that the Romanian state has taken some very clear measures to comply with the sanctions imposed on Russia.
„As secretary of state responsible not only for European affairs, but also for international relations, I have been in charge of the relationship with OFAC (The Office of Foreign Assets Control, editor's note) from the very beginning, explaining what we are doing to comply with the sanctions and, in the end, the philosophy, the essence of these sanctions, that no money from Romania, from operations, should go to Russia and not directly or indirectly support the killing of civilians and the killing of soldiers in Ukraine. From this point of view, the Romanian state has taken some very clear measures. First of all, of course, there is that ordinance with the overseer which I have appointed and which is intended to ensure that things happen in this direction. Of course, there is also Eximbank, a state bank that is extremely professional and extremely strict in applying these sanctions and in making sure that this does not happen (...) Petrotel - Lukoil needs a horizon of six months to merit to start buying crude oil, a product that it refines on the international market, somewhere else, obviously other than Russia, because it is banned. (...) from the point of view of secondary sanctions of any entity working with Lukoil - Petrotel for the next six months, from the US Treasury Department, from OFAC, a firm assurance was received that this will not happen until October 29. In parallel, for gas stations, but not only for those in Romania, for all international operations, on the retail side, there is an extension until October 29 as well”, the dignitary stated.