"Romania is becoming an important center of the energy market, both in terms of electricity and natural gas," Romanian Energy Minister Virgil Popescu said after the governments of Azerbaijan, Georgia, Hungary and Romania signed a strategic agreement in Bucharest on Saturday partnership in the field of green energy production and transmission.

The agreement is related to the implementation of a project to build an undersea cable to transmit electricity from renewable sources between Romania and Azerbaijan, through Georgia and the Black Sea, and then to Hungary and the rest of Europe.

According to the Romanian Minister of Energy, the agreement is a first step towards diversifying the sources of electricity and gas supply.

The four signatories are interested in strengthening national and regional energy security and connectivity in the Black Sea Basin, diversifying sources of supply and, using the potential for renewable energy production in the Caspian region, increasing the share of renewable energy in its national energy mix.

When will the submarine cable be ready and what are its parameters? 

The Black Sea Undersea Electric Cable Project is part of the energy agreements between the European Union and Azerbaijan, and is also a flagship project for Georgia as part of the EU's Global Gateway strategy.

The feasibility study for the cable is currently underway and should be completed in September 2023, Adverul informed.

In its initial configuration, the cable will be completed in six years, will reach Romania and will be 1,195 km long, of which 1,100 km will be underwater and 95 km on land.

Its capacity will be 1000 megawatts.

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Preliminary calculations show that the total investment required for the construction of the submarine cable may exceed two billion euros, and the commissioning will take place in 2029 at the earliest, reports the specialized website profit.ro.

Once completed, the submarine cable will stimulate regional electricity trade, increase export opportunities for electricity-producing countries and strengthen energy security in Europe and the South Caucasus region, Adevrol said.

Connection with BRUA

The submarine electric cable in the Black Sea will be connected to another cable built on Romanian territory, which connects the Black Sea to Hungary. 

"Romania plans to put into operation a green electricity transmission cable along the Tuzla-Podisor route and then along the BRUA (Bulgaria-Romania-Hungary-Austria) gas pipeline corridor to ensure the connection from the east to the west of Romania" , Energy Minister Virgil Popescu said Saturday after the agreement was signed.

The BRUA gas pipeline is designed to carry 4.5 billion cubic meters of gas from Azerbaijan to Austria, passing through Greece, Bulgaria, Romania and Hungary. 

"Romania is becoming an important center of the energy market, both in terms of electricity and natural gas. Together with our partners, we will develop investments in our country and thus guarantee the energy security and independence of Romania and the region," he said Virgil Popescu, quoted in Eventual Ziley.

According to him, through regional cooperation, Romania will be able to diversify its energy supply sources.

The undersea electric cable will be doubled with fiber to provide digital connectivity between the EU and Central Asia

According to the Georgian transmission and system operator GSE, the submarine cable across the Black Sea will allow the countries of the South Caucasus and Romania to take advantage of the expanded opportunities for export-import and trade in electricity.

"Its implementation will contribute to the strengthening of energy security in Europe and the South Caucasus, guaranteeing the possibility of integrating new capacities for the production of energy from renewable sources," states the Georgian operator GSE.

The Georgians received financing from the World Bank to start the feasibility study and signed a contract with an Italian consulting company in the field of energy engineering - CESI SpA, informs "Libertatya".

The undersea electric cable will be doubled with a fiber optic cable to develop digital connectivity between the European Union and Central Asia, the newspaper said.

The cable will also provide electricity transmission to Moldova, the Western Balkans and Ukraine

The agreement between the governments of Azerbaijan, Georgia, Romania and Hungary on a strategic partnership in the field of energy production and transmission will connect the two sides of the Black Sea and ensure the transmission of electricity to Moldova, the Western Balkans and Ukraine, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who was present at the signing of the agreement, reported Agerpress.

"Since the start of Russia's war (in Ukraine), we have decided to abandon Russian fossil fuels and diversify our options to reliable energy partners like those present at this table," Von der Leyen said, adding that it was related not only to "the new geopolitical situation, but also to creating a future with clean, affordable and safe energy resources."

Von der Leyen emphasized that the project will bring significant benefits to Georgia, which through it can become an electricity hub and integrate into the EU energy market.

The chairperson of the EC also noted that the cable can provide electricity transmission to Moldova and the Western Balkans, as well as to Ukraine, where it can contribute to the recovery of the Ukrainian energy system and the entire country.

Romanian President Klaus Iohannis, who also attended the signing ceremony, described the agreement as an "extremely important" and "ambitious" document that will make a significant contribution to strengthening European energy security and cooperation in the region. "Given the current security context, conditioned from the military aggression against Ukraine, we need to cooperate better and show more solidarity to deal with the current obstacles.

This agreement provides a framework for long-term cooperation between our countries in a number of very important areas," said the Romanian head of state, quoted by Hotnews.

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