Development Minister: In March we are launching call for investment projects in natural gas connections

In early March, we are going to launch a call for investment projects in the field of natural gas connections under the "Anghel Saligny" National Programme and, at the same time, we are going to take over from the Ministry of Investments and European Projects a number of 105 mature projects that lack funds before, the Minister of Development, Public Works and Administration, Cseke Attila, informed on Monday.

"Today, in Romania, according to the official statistics, 70pct of localities do not have access to the natural gas distribution network, so this is where the rapid need for investments in this field was born. Under the National Programme "Anghel Saligny," in the first part of March 2022, we are going to launch a call for investments projects in new connections to the natural gas network," Cseke Attila told a press conference.

He brought to mind that there are certain types of investments that can be run through the "Anghel Saligny" Programme: the establishment of new natural gas networks, the extension of the existing natural gas networks, respectively the modernization of the existing ones by transforming them into intelligent natural gas systems.

The budget earmarked for the "Saligny" Programme, for this call for projects, will be 7.5 billion lei, and the minimum indicators of this programme are 2,500 km of gas pipelines to be built, respectively 150,000 families to be connected to the natural gas distribution network.

"The joint order of the Ministers of Development and Energy will be signed during this period to be published in the Official Journal, which will launch the call for projects for a period of 45 days on the digital platform dedicated to the National Investment Programme "Anghel Saligny," specified the Minister.

At the same time, he announced, the Ministry will take over from the Ministry of European Investments and Projects the 105 mature projects assessed under the Operational Programme "Large Investments," which mature projects have feasibility studies and technical projects already carried out, plus the necessary approvals, so that by taking them over, we will basically be able, in a very short amount of time, to proceed to hold the public tender procedure for the execution of these works. (AGERPRES)