EC opens probe into suspected restrictions on Romanian gas exports

The European Commission said on last Thursday it has opened a formal investigation to assess whether Romania's majority state-owned gas transmission system operator Transgaz [BSE:TGN] has abused its dominant market position to restrict gas exports, seenews.com informs.

“The Commission's antitrust investigation will focus on indications that Transgaz has devised a strategy to restrict gas exports from Romania to other Member States,” the Commission said in a statement.

Such a strategy could have been implemented by Transgaz through the use of interconnector transmission fees, underinvestment or delays in the building of relevant infrastructure, as well as unfounded technical arguments as a pretext to prevent or justify delays in exports, the Commission said.

Measures like those could lead to higher prices and less secure supplies of natural gas by decreasing liquidity on wholesale gas market in Romania, the Commission added.

In 2016, the Commission carried out unannounced inspections at the premises of several companies active in the supply and transport of natural gas in Romania.

Romania is the third largest natural gas producer in the European Union after the Netherlands and the United Kingdom.

Transgaz is the sole operator of the natural gas transmission system in Romania.

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