Back to Basics

„The Virtual Trading Point, hereinafter referred to as VTP, is a national point located between the entry points into NTS and the exit points from NTS used for notification of the transactions concluded between the Network Users:

1. transactions with gas volumes to be delivered to/from the NTS during the next gas day and/or during the delivery day, in the limit of predicted imbalances; b. transactions made in order to reduce the imbalances by using the natural Gas Transfer Option.”[1]

“The gases exploded, splitting the earth over a length of 200 meters. From the bottom of the earth large boulders were thrown. They broke down the railroad, telegraph and phone network on the length of 3-400 meters. Flames are continuously coming out from the mouths of the earth rising up to 20-25 meters with an awesome roar. The people cannot get closer to the high heat. The explosion did not happen on the place where they drilled the land of the village but some 5-600 meters above. There the gas was artificial plugged (with the power). Now the gas uncorked and gave free courses, thinking that it would end and goes off. But the flames are coming out terrible. Such a miracle was never heard in our country”[2].

Between the two descriptions is the history of more than 100 years of exploration, production, transmission, storage, transit and distribution of natural gas in Romania.

Regarded initially as a local industry, by construction of the first gas transport pipeline with a diamter of 250mm Sarmasel-Turda[3], length 52.0 km, the natural gas activity gained immediatly a regional character, and then through the expansion of production and transport capacities was transformed into an industry of national interest.

As time passes, gas sources and related services have been diversified, so the industry became a strategic one. Moreover, by connecting the national transport system to the neighbouring countries, it has been integrated in the European industry. Looking to the international scene it can be observed that the transformation process is not completed.

There are experts who are placing the industry in the decline phase, and other that predict the entrance into “The Golden Age of Natural Gas”. The gas volumes to be consumed in the future will indicate which part used the strongest arguments on their assessments.

The technical, economic and legal vocabulary specific to the projects and processes of the natural gas area was always enriched. In parallel the number of experts involved in the natural gas sector was increased and diversified, with the intention to face the challenges and the requirements imposed by the national standards or policies, new international rules or regulations. The relatively long period of time, above mentioned, caused that the definition of some terms to be adapted in line with new technologies, new commercial and legal rules or sometimes even with temporary interests. These waves of additions or alterations made the basic knowledge to be treated as “already known”. Quite often they have been even neglected, so that the distance between basic and new elements has increased from year to year, the final result causing confusion among the readers and the information users. The purpose of these written thoughts is neither to draft a dictionary of the romanian gas industry nor to illustrate differences between the definitions on certain terms, but to open a dialogue on the platform offered by the Association «Intelligent Energy» on the necessity of this step, namely the return to basics.

There are 20 years since I made the first step to the current job. First I learned how to perform a horizontal directional drilling, then I learned the difference between a power generator and an acetylene generator, I understood how useful is a geographic information system for a gas pipeline network and I was happy when I understood the differences between the gas generator and power turbine, between compressor and a turbo-expander, between the qualities of L245NB and L415NB steels. Since 9 years I started to mark on my notebook the important moments of each working day. The gas industry is the place where each day can bring a new concept, a specification or at least a set of data which can be analysed, and if the results are attractive, the solution deserves to be promoted.

Today is a new beginning. I chose to join the “Intelligent Energy” team and to share on this blog, within the possibilities, in simple words, part of my experience with the hope that it will be useful to some readers, but also with the intention to find different opinions.

[1] Network Code for the National Gas Transport System, updated on 27.XI.2015

[2] People’s Sheet, year XIX, no.43 from 23.XI.1911

[3] Dumitru Chisaliţa, A Hystory of Romanian Natural Gas, AGIR 2009