Zau de Câmpie gas field

Framework

A quarter of Romania's natural gas reserves (100 e9m3) are located in Western Moldavia, Muntenia, and the Black Sea, with the remaining 75% located near methane gas reserve sites in Transylvania. 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.

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

In 1970, Romania ranked fourth in the world and second in Europe in the size of its natural gas deposits; by 2016, it ranked third in Europe after the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. 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.{{citation|url=https://pubs.usgs.gov/bul/2204/e/pdf/B2204E.pdf|title=Transylvanian Composite Total Petroleum System of the Transylvanian Basin Province, Romania, Eastern Europe |first=Mark|last= Pawlewicz|year=2005|publisher=United States Geological Survey|location=

History

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. Deposits of methane gas occur in three main areas; the first area is in the northwest and includes the Sărmașel, Zau de Câmpie, and Șincai gas fields. The North Group contains 31 gas fields located to the north of the Mureș River. These are found under the form of dome traps. Representative for this group are the Sărmașel, Grebenișu de Câmpie, Zau de Câmpie, and Țaga gas fields.

The first natural gas deposit in Romania was discovered in 1909, in Sărmașel, about 22 km north of Zau de Câmpie. In 1913, the first production of methane gas was recorded, of 113 m3, from the drilling site at the Sărmașel gas field. That year, the local Greek Catholic priest announced to the Zau de Câmpie community that they will start "to dig for gas, in the form of the one from Sărmașel," on a 2400 m2 plot of land belonging to the church. Besides Sărmășel and Zau de Câmpie, other gas fields developed in the area were the ones at Deleni, Nadeș, Bazna, and Șincai, followed later by those at Bogata, Ilimbav, Miercurea Nirajului, Tăuni, Teleac, and Filitelnic.

The first geological study of the Zau de Câmpie gas dome (in connection with the classification of mud volcanoes and salt mines in the Transylvanian Plain) was done by in his 1929 Ph.D. dissertation. According to a CIA report from 1948 (quoting an article from the communist party organ Scînteia), the Zau de Câmpie gas field was under geological study since 1935, and exploration was begun in 1948, when an important deposit of gas was discovered at a depth of 633 m. Concomitantly, the Ceanu Mare–Cluj pipeline was being constructed, with the Zau de Câmpie wells due to supply natural gas to the city of Cluj.

In July 2018, the Romanian announced that Romgaz's lease of the gas field had been extended until 2027, extended again to 2029 later that year.

References

References

1. (June 2018). "Industrial activities in Mureș County". Analele Universității din Oradea, Seria Geografie.
2. (2009). "Gazul natural". BCU Cluj.
3. "Date privind dezvoltarea si exploatarea in perimetrul Zau de Câmpie–Șăulia, jud. Mureș". [[Government of Romania]].
4. Crețu, Simeon. ""Centru" Region Natural and Antropic Potential – Development Prospects". Agency for Regional Development – Centru.
5. Muntean, Valerica Doina. (July 2012). "Renewable resource potential in Transylvania region". Calitatea: Acces la Success.
6. "Societatea Națională de Gaze Naturale Romgaz S.A. Suc. Tg. Mureș achiziționează servicii mentenanță variatoare de frecvență VSDS".
7. (March 15, 2016). "Top 10 câmpuri petrolifere și gazeifere cu cea mai mare producție din România".
8. Berekmeri, Maria-Erzsebet. (2006). "Built infrastructure disparities in Romania". Romanian Review of Regional Studies.
9. Pop, Andreea. (2011). "The impact of the territory's public infrastructural level on the organization of the territory in the Reghin micro-region". Geographica Timisiensis.
10. (2019). "The energy potential of natural gas fields from Transylvanian Basin – Current and future trends". Emerg.
11. Carter, F. W.. (April 1970). "Natural gas in Romania". [[Taylor & Francis]].
12. Benea, Ionuț. (December 28, 2022). "De ce a scăzut producția de gaze în 2022 și cât de vechi sunt zăcămintele exploatate de România". [[Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty]].
13. "Atestare istorică". Zau de Câmpie town hall.
14. Velcea, Ion. (1975). "Geografia economică a R. S. România". [[University of Bucharest]].
15. Vancea, Augustin. (1929). "Observațiuni geologice în regiunea de sud-west a Câmpiei Ardelene: cu o privire generală asupra geologiei Basinului Transilvaniei și cu descrierea specială a domului de gaz natural de la Zaul de Câmpie (Moinești)".
16. Spulber, Liana. (2010). "Emisii geogene de metan în Transilvania și implicațiile lor asupra mediului înconjurător". [[Babeș-Bolyai University]].
17. (November 1948). "Rumania. Economic – Fuel and power". [[Central Intelligence Agency]].
18. (June 28, 2018). "Guvernul prelungește până în 2027 acordul pentru perimetrul de gaze de la Zau de Câmpie concesionat de Romgaz". Punctul.
19. (July 1, 2018). "Romgaz a cerut prelungirea acordurilor pentru exploatarea a patru perimetre de gaze naturale din județul Mureș". [[Microsoft Start.
20. (December 21, 2018). "Nota de Fundamentare – HG nr.1029/21.12.2018". [[Government of Romania]].