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Sărmășel gas field

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The Sărmășel gas field is a natural gas field located in Sărmașu, Mureș County, Romania. Discovered in 1909, it was developed by Romgaz, beginning production of natural gas and condensates in 1912.[1] By 2010, the total proven reserves of the Sărmășel gas field were around 354 billion cu ft (10.0 billion m3), with a production rate of around 71 million cu ft/d (2,000,000 m3/d). By 2024, the facility's production capacity more than tripled to 7.5 million m3/d (260 million cu ft/d).[2]

Sărmășel
CountryRomania
RegionMureș County
Offshore/onshoreonshore
OperatorRomgaz
Field history
Discovery1909
Start of development1909
Start of production1912
Production
Current production of gas2×10^6 m3/d
71×10^6 cu ft/d 0.71×10^9 m3/a (25×10^9 cu ft/a)
Estimated gas in place10×10^9 m3
354×10^9 cu ft

The gas produced at Sărmășel and in the surrounding area is considered to be the purest one; it consists of dry gases, usually made of 99% methane, with the rest being hydrocarbons (ethane, propane, and butane).[3]: 2 [4]

Framework

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Sărmașu in 1909, the year when the gas well was discovered

A quarter of Romania's natural gas reserves (100 billion m3 (3.5 trillion cu ft)) are located in Western Moldavia, Muntenia, and the Black Sea, with the remaining 75% located near methane gas reserve sites in Transylvania.[5] A fifth of these sites are located in the Giurgeu-Brașov Depression and Sibiu County, with the remainder located in Mureș County at sites such as Luduș, Șincai, Bazna, and Nadeș.[6]: 76 [7]: 102 

While not rich in natural gas, the Transylvanian Basin is home to Romania's largest methane gas reserves.[8]

In 1970, Romania ranked fourth in the world and second in Europe in the size of its natural gas deposits;[9]: 214  by 2016, it ranked third in Europe after the Netherlands and the United Kingdom.[5] The United States Geological Survey's 2000 World Energy assessment ranked the Transylvanian Basin region as the 56th largest in the world (exclusive of the United States), with 0.2% of the world's oil and gas resources, based on volume of reserves plus cumulative production.[10]

History

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The existence of natural gas in Transylvania was known since the 17th century; for instance, people in Bazna were often puzzled by "inextinguishable fires".[9] The first natural gas deposit in Romania was discovered in 1909, at well 2 in Sărmășel.[11][12] Originally intended for the extraction of potassium salts, the discovery accessed one of the richest natural gas deposits in the world at that time.[12] The rig itself was probably the first of its kind in Europe; in the place where the gas erupted, craters with "eternal fire" can still be found today.[13]

The gas deposits in Romania have a very long history of exploitation, almost unique at the level of Europe and among the few such old fields that are still in production in the world. The oldest deposits exploited by Romgaz are in Mureș County, where gas has been extracted since 1913.[11] In 1913, the first production of methane gas was recorded here, of 113,000 m3 (4,000,000 cu ft).[11] Soon after, the gas output at Sărmășel increased to 900,000 m3 (32,000,000 cu ft) per day, making it at the time the 4th most productive gas rig in the world.[14] The Sărmășel gas deposit discovery marks the starting point of the natural gas industry in Romania.[15]: 108 

These developments prompted people in nearby villages to also explore for gas deposits. In 1913, the Greek Catholic priest in Zau de Câmpie announced to his flock that they will start "to dig for gas, in the form of the one from Sărmășel," on a 2,400 m2 (26,000 sq ft) plot of land belonging to the church; the Zau de Câmpie gas field was discovered the next year.[16]

In 1914 the first gas pipeline was completed, spanning from Sărmășel to Turda to Ocna Mureș, with a length of 55 kilometres (34 miles) and 153 millimetres (6 in) diameter.[17]: 37  In 1927, a gas compression station – the first facility of its kind in Europe – was inaugurated at Sărmășel;[11] the station was equipped with 3 Ingersoll Rand horizontal motor compressors.[12]

In 2010, on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the establishment at Sărmășel of the first commercial natural gas well in Romania, the Natural Gas Museum was inaugurated in Mediaș by Romgaz.[12]

In July 2016, a new compressor station was inaugurated at Sărmășel; the 238 million lei investment will increase storage capacity and the facility's capability to deliver gas at times of peak demand.[18][19] The Sărmășel underground gas storage facility is a project which aims to increase the existing working capacity at the Sărmășel gas field and is partly financed by the European Union. The upgrade seeks to increase the flexibility of the storage system, improve security of supply, and contribute to North-South gas interconnections in Central and Eastern Europe. The commissioning date is scheduled for December 2025.[20]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Iancu, Lavinia (April 19, 2023). "Razvan Popescu, CEO of ROMGAZ, on Company's Most Important Projects". Energy Industry Review. Retrieved January 21, 2024.
  2. ^ "Depozite: Sărmășel". www.depogazploiesti.ro (in Romanian). Depogaz. 2024. Retrieved January 21, 2024.
  3. ^ Crețu, Simeon. ""Centru" Region Natural and Antropic Potential – Development Prospects" (PDF). shs.hal.science. Agency for Regional Development – Centru. pp. 1–10. Retrieved January 20, 2024.
  4. ^ Muntean, Valerica Doina (July 2012), "Renewable resource potential in Transylvania region", Calitatea: Acces la Success, 13 (3), Bucharest: 365–373, ProQuest 1095343644
  5. ^ a b "Top 10 câmpuri petrolifere și gazeifere cu cea mai mare producție din România". www.economica.net (in Romanian). March 15, 2016. Retrieved January 20, 2024.
  6. ^ Berekmeri, Maria-Erzsebet (2006). "Built infrastructure disparities in Romania" (PDF). Romanian Review of Regional Studies. 2 (2): 74–80.
  7. ^ Pop, Andreea (2011). "The impact of the territory's public infrastructural level on the organization of the territory in the Reghin micro-region" (PDF). Geographica Timisiensis. 20 (2): 99–112. Archived from the original on 2018-05-02. Retrieved 2024-01-23.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  8. ^ Avram, Lazăr; Lupu, Diana-Andreea (2019). "The energy potential of natural gas fields from Transylvanian Basin – Current and future trends". Emerg. 5 (9): 156–162. doi:10.37410/EMERG.2019.12.09. Retrieved January 24, 2024.
  9. ^ a b Carter, F. W. (April 1970). "Natural gas in Romania". Geography. 55 (2). Taylor & Francis: 214–220. JSTOR 40567242.
  10. ^ Pawlewicz, Mark (2005), "Transylvanian Composite Total Petroleum System of the Transylvanian Basin Province, Romania, Eastern Europe" (PDF), pubs.usgs.gov, United States Geological Survey, p. 2
  11. ^ a b c d Benea, Ionuț (December 28, 2022). "De ce a scăzut producția de gaze în 2022 și cât de vechi sunt zăcămintele exploatate de România" [Why gas production decreased in 2022 and how old are the fields exploited by Romania]. romania.europalibera.org (in Romanian). Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. Retrieved January 20, 2024.
  12. ^ a b c d "Istoria Gazelor Naturale". www.muzeulgazelor.ro (in Romanian). Natural Gas Museum. Retrieved January 20, 2024.
  13. ^ Dinu, Eugen (October 6, 2023). "Kilometrul zero al gazului metan din România și "Focurile Veșnice" de la Sărmășel" [Kilometer Zero of methane gas in Romania and the "Eternal Fires" from Sărmășel] (in Romanian). Retrieved January 24, 2024.
  14. ^ Petrescu, Roxana (April 27, 2018). "Ce se va întâmpla cu gazele naturale ale României? Totul depinde de capacitatea intelectuală a autorităților". Ziarul Financiar (in Romanian). Retrieved January 20, 2024.
  15. ^ Bulearcă, Marius; Neagu, Cornelia; Sima, Cristian; Mărguș, Daniel (2014). "The Romanian Extractive Industry, from its Early Beginnings up to Year 1948". Procedia Economics and Finance. 8: 106–112. doi:10.1016/S2212-5671(14)00069-0.
  16. ^ "Atestare istorică". zaudecimpie.ro (in Romanian). Zau de Câmpie town hall. Retrieved January 21, 2024.
  17. ^ Tofan, George-Bogdan; Niță, Adrian (June 2018). "Industrial activities in Mureș County" (PDF). Analele Universității din Oradea, Seria Geografie. XXVIII (1): 36–53.
  18. ^ "Stația Romgaz de la Sărmășel, investiția anului în Mureș" [The Romgaz station from Sărmășel, the investment of the year in Mureș]. www.zi-de-zi.ro (in Romanian). July 21, 2016. Retrieved January 21, 2024.
  19. ^ "Romgaz a inaugurat o noua instalatie de comprimare a gazelor naturale la Sărmășel, Mureș" [Romgaz inaugurated a new natural gas compression plant in Sărmășel, Mureș]. www.corectnews.com (in Romanian). July 21, 2016. Retrieved January 21, 2024.
  20. ^ "Sarmasel underground gas storage in Romania" (PDF). ec.europa.eu. European Commission. June 2021. Retrieved January 21, 2024.
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