Societatea Nationala de Transport Gaze Naturale "TRANSGAZ" S.A. va beneficia de un sprijin financiar din partea Uniunii Europene de pana la 179 de milioane de euro pentru constructia segmentului romanesc al unui gazoduct ce va conecta Bulgaria, Romania, Ungaria si Austria. Aceasta conexiune este esentiala deoarece va permite aprovizionarea pietei europene cu gaze naturale, inclusiv gaz natural lichefiat (GNL), din regiunea caspica.
Alte 14 proiecte de infrastructura energetica din 12 state membre UE si Turcia vor beneficia de o finantare totala de aproximativ 38 de milioane de euro in cadrul Mecanismului de interconectare a Europei.

Comisarul european pentru politici climatice si energie, Miguel Arias Cañete, a declarat: "Vizam acele regiuni din Europa care au cea mai mare nevoie de astfel de proiecte. Datorita acestor finantari vom putea asigura aprovizionarea cu gaze naturale si integrarea deplina a pietei energetice europene. Modernizarea retelelor noastre energetice trebuie sa continue, pentru conectarea tuturor tarilor izolate la piata europeana a energiei. Retelele moderne de energie sunt, de asemenea, cruciale pentru utilizarea eficienta a resurselor noastre energetice si, prin urmare, cheia pentru a ne atinge obiectivele climatice." 

Statele membre UE au aprobat marti, 19 ianuarie, propunerea Comisiei Europene de a investi 217 milioane de euro in 15 proiectele transeuropene din domeniul infrastructurii energetice. Aceste proiecte au fost selectate in urma celui de-al doilea apel pentru propuneri publicat in data de 30 iunie 2015.
In cadrul Mecanismului de interconectare a Europei au fost alocate peste 5 miliarde de euro pentru modernizarea infrastructurii energetice transeuropene in perioada 2014-2020.

EU invests €217 million in energy infrastructure
Member States agreed on a Commission proposal to invest €217 million in key trans-European energy infrastructure projects, mainly in Central and South Eastern Europe. In total, 15 projects were selected following a call for proposals under the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF), an EU funding programme for infrastructure. The selected projects will increase energy security and help end the isolation of Member States from EU-wide energy networks. They will also contribute to the completion of a European energy market and the integration of renewables into the electricity grid.

In the gas sector, the allocated grants will cover, among others, studies for modernising the Bulgarian gas transmission network which will improve the possibilities for the transport of gas in the region, notably for the benefit of Greece, Romania, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and Turkey. Funding will also be allocated to studies on the Midcat project which will help eliminate infrastructure bottlenecks between the Iberian Peninsula and France, and connect gas supplies from Algeria and Spanish LNG terminals with the rest of Europe. The interconnector linking gas networks in Romania, Bulgaria, Austria and Hungary will also get EU funding. This is an important development for the EU gas market as this will allow gas from the Caspian region and other potential sources, including LNG, to reach Central Europe.
The development of electricity infrastructure will also benefit from CEF financial assistance. This includes environmental and engineering design studies for the Germany-Denmark interconnection which will help supply Nordic electricity to Central Europe.

Of the 15 proposals selected for funding:
• 9 are in the gas sector (financial aid worth €207 million) and six in electricity sector (€10 million);
• 13 relate to studies, such as environmental impact assessments (€29 million), and two to construction works (€188 million).