ROHU Interconnector Celebrates 10-Year Jubilee
2020. 11. 20.
In October ten years ago, we handed over the interconnecting gas pipeline between Arad, Romania and Szeged, Hungary as result of the cooperation between FGSZ Ltd. and the Romanian Transgaz S.A. We proudly say that the transports arriving through the pipeline have significantly contributed to the security of supply both in Hungary and Romania. Together with our Romanian partner we have worked hard to continuously develop the quality of the service and the security of supply; thanks to our joint work, the pipeline system has largely improved in the past decade. Let’s see some important milestones from the events of the ten-year old IC!
The idea of the joint project of the Hungarian FGSZ Ltd. and Romanian Transgaz S.A. conceived at the beginning of the 2000s. Finally, in 2008, following a series of negotiations, the parties signed the Memorandum of Understanding on connecting the high-pressure gas transportation systems of the two countries.
The first invitation for capacity sales was called in the same year, from 1 July 2010, for a 20-year period. The first Open Season took place (followed by further ones as a consequence of the appearance of southern sources), where requests had been declared for nearly 90% of the announced 180.000 m3/h capacity, for altogether 160.000 m3/h. This is a huge success in case of a newly commissioned pipeline. Following the successful capacity booking procedures, two years later, on 4 October 2010, the pipeline had been handed over near Csanádpalota.
Thanks to the gas compressor station implemented in Csanádpalota in 2019, it has also become possible to transport 1,75 billion cubic metres of gas to Hungary from Romania through the pipeline. As a part of the development aiming at connecting the Hungarian and Romanian gas transportation systems, the Csanádpalota investment is an important milestone in the project serving the transportation of gas from the south to the CEE region. Hence, international connections have continuously been improved, our Company is committed to transporting southern gas to the market and to implementing the necessary developments answering market needs, based on European regulations, which may further strengthen the gas transportation agreement between Romania and Hungary. This is also confirmed by the fact that capacity sale demands on the Romanian-Hungarian IC have been carried out on the capacity sales platform of FGSZ, the Regional Booking Platform since 2014.
Together with our Romanian partner, Transgaz, we have worked a lot to continuously improve the quality of our service and the security of supply; thanks to this joint work, the pipeline system has improved significantly during the past decade. Gas supply has been undisturbed from Hungary to Romania since the beginning, the transported amount has continuously been increasing throughout the years; we have transported more than 4 billion cubic metres of gas since 2010. Transport values of the past year and this year are especially outstanding, since we transported way over 1 billion cubic metres of gas toward Romania both in 2019 and in 2020. More than 1,5 billion cubic metres last year, which is excellent, regarding the fact that 14% of the gas consumption of Romania had arrived through the Romanian-Hungarian border crossing pipeline in 2019.
Larger amounts arriving from Romania to Hungary have grown since September 2020. This secures the first real test of bidirectional operation on the IC. This year, we transported nearly 80 million cubic metres of gas to the direction of Hungary, so the actual direction of stream has indeed turned.
We are proud that we have successfully improved the interconnector between Romania and Hungary. Thanks to this, gas systems of neighbouring countries are able to provide connection in a more efficient way, and we can answer market needs more flexibly.