South Stream Pipeline Will Pass Through Romania

After years of opposing the project, Romania is now ready to join the Russian-backed South Stream gas transit pipeline, officials in Bucharest said.

“We have been able to start a dialogue, including with Russia. South Stream will pass through Romania,” the country’s Economy Minister Adriean Videanu said Thursday.

He didn’t want to further elaborate.

Early this year, Russian gas giant Gazprom invited Romanian state-run gas pipeline operator Transgaz to join the South Stream.

Romanian authorities, who in recent years have expressed their reluctance to take part in the project, have not commented further on the proposal, but local analysts said that Romania is interested in participating in the
pipeline.

The South Stream pipeline is mainly backed by Russia, which will supply gas from Russia’s Black Sea coast through Bulgaria and Serbia to Hungary, Italy and Greece.

Romania has been a strong supporter of Gazprom’s direct competitor, the Nabucco project, which aims to reduce European reliance on Russian gas by providing access to supplies from Azerbaijan and other central Asian countries.

The projected Nabucco route runs through Turkey, Bulgaria, Romania and Hungary to its final destination in Austria.