The Noul Săsesc gas field is a

natural gas field A petroleum reservoir or oil and gas reservoir is a subsurface accumulation of hydrocarbons contained in porous or fractured rock formations. Such reservoirs form when kerogen (ancient plant matter) is created in surrounding rock by the prese ...

located in

Laslea Laslea (; ) is a commune located in Sibiu County, Transylvania, Romania. It is composed of five villages: Florești (''Felsendorf'', ''Földszin''), Laslea, Mălâncrav (''Malmkrog'', ''Almakerék''), Nou Săsesc (''Neudorf'', ''Apaújfalu''), ...

Sibiu County Sibiu County () is a county () of Romania, in the historical region of Transylvania. Its county seat () is the namesake town of Sibiu (). Name In Hungarian, it is known as ''Szeben megye'', and in German as ''Kreis Hermannstadt''. Under the ...

Romania Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...

. Discovered in 1920, it was developed by

Romgaz Societatea Națională de Gaze Naturale Romgaz SA Mediaș (SNGN Romgaz SA) or simply Romgaz is the largest natural gas producer in Romania and one of the largest producers in Eastern Europe. The company is the country's main supplier and responsib ...

, beginning production of

natural gas Natural gas (also fossil gas, methane gas, and gas) is a naturally occurring compound of gaseous hydrocarbons, primarily methane (95%), small amounts of higher alkanes, and traces of carbon dioxide and nitrogen, hydrogen sulfide and helium ...

and condensates in 1925. By 2010 the total

proven reserves Proven reserves (also called measured reserves, 1P, and reserves) is a measure of fossil fuel energy reserves, such as oil and gas reserves and coal reserves. It is defined as the "quantity of energy sources estimated with reasonable certaint ...

of the Noul Săsesc gas field were around 3.55 trillion ft³ (100 km³), with a production rate of around 70 million ft³/day (2×10⁵ m³).

History

In the 1920s, large deposits of natural gas were discovered near the Nou Săsesc village of Laslea commune, a discovery that led to the drilling of wells and the exploitation of those deposits. In the early 1930s, the Methane Gas National Society (SONAMETAN) launched a campaign for the promotion of natural gas and the expansion of its distribution network. These efforts helped the Noul Săsesc gas field get connected to

Sibiu Sibiu ( , , , Hungarian: ''Nagyszeben'', , Transylvanian Saxon: ''Härmeschtat'' or ''Hermestatt'') is a city in central Romania, situated in the historical region of Transylvania. Located some north-west of Bucharest, the city straddles th ...

in 1936 and

Ocna Mureș Ocna Mureș (; , , ) is a town in Alba County, Romania, located in the north-eastern corner of the county, near the Mureș River. The town administers five villages: Cisteiu de Mureș (''Magyarcsesztve''), Micoșlaca (''Miklóslaka''), Războien ...

in 1937. In 1938, planning began for a pipeline that would connect

Brașov Brașov (, , ; , also ''Brasau''; ; ; Transylvanian Saxon dialect, Transylvanian Saxon: ''Kruhnen'') is a city in Transylvania, Romania and the county seat (i.e. administrative centre) of Brașov County. According to the 2021 Romanian census, ...

to Noul Săsesc's distribution network, culminating in the delivery of of steel pipes from Germany via 1,000 rail cars the following year. Upon completion in 1942, the pipeline added not only Brașov to the network, but the industrial centers of

Făgăraș Făgăraș (; , ) is a municipiu, city in central Romania, located in Brașov County. It lies on the Olt (river), Olt River and has a population of 26,284 as of 2021. It is situated in the historical region of Transylvania, and is the main city of ...

and Ucea as well. Further expansion of the Noul Săsesc pipeline network continued through the end of

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, with methane gas able to be delivered to the industrial centers of Bod,

Zărnești Zărnești (; ; ) is a town in Brașov County, Transylvania, Romania, with a population of 21,624 as of 2021. It administers one village, Tohanu Nou (''Neu-Tohan''; ''Újtohán''). The town is located near the Piatra Craiului Mountains, which ...

, and—through an extension of the pipeline to

Câmpina Câmpina () is a city in Prahova County, Romania, north of the county seat Ploiești, located on the main route between Wallachia and Transylvania. Its existence is first attested in a document of 1503. It is situated in the historical region of ...

—the distribution network of

Bucharest Bucharest ( , ; ) is the capital and largest city of Romania. The metropolis stands on the River Dâmbovița (river), Dâmbovița in south-eastern Romania. Its population is officially estimated at 1.76 million residents within a greater Buc ...

, by 1945. Expansions to the pipeline network continued after the war, and by 1970 was able to deliver natural gas directly to Bucharest, along with the cities of

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Queen Victoria (1819–1901), Queen of the United Kingdom and Empress of India * Victoria (state), a state of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, a provincial capital * Victoria, Seychelles, the capi ...

, Făgăraș, and Brașov. In 2022, Romgaz allocated 11,200,000 leis for preparatory work, drilling, and production tests at the Noul Săsesc gas field, The following year it announced plans to maintain and upgrade several wells at Noul Săsesc.

References

Natural gas fields in Romania {{Romania-geo-stub