Zau de Câmpie gas field

Zau de Câmpie
Zau de Câmpie
CountryRomania
RegionMureș County
Offshore/onshoreonshore
OperatorRomgaz
Field history
Discovery1914
Start of development1914
Start of production1920
Production
Current production of gas100×10^3 m3/d
3.6×10^6 cu ft/d 0.035×10^9 m3/a (1.2×10^9 cu ft/a)
Estimated gas in place2.47×10^9 m3
87×10^9 cu ft

The Zau de Câmpie gas field is a natural gas field located in Zau de Câmpie, Mureș County. It was discovered in 1914, when the first gas extraction fields were created, supplying Târnăveni and Târgu Mureș with natural gas.[1]: 37  The Zau de Câmpie gas field was developed by Romgaz. It began production in 1920 and produces natural gas and condensates.

History

Romania has important quantities of methane gas reserves (third in Europe after the Netherlands and the United Kingdom[2]), especially in the Transylvanian Plateau, south and north of the Mureș River, at Puini, Zau de Câmpie, Luduș, Șincai, Bazna, Nadeș, etc,[3]: 76  where about 75% of the 0.1×10^12 m3 (3.5×10^12 cu ft) of the country's natural gas reserves are located.[2] 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.[4]

The first natural gas deposit in Romania was discovered in 1909, in Sărmașel, about 22 km (14 mi) north of Zau de Câmpie. In 1913, the first production of methane gas was recorded, of 113,000 m3 (4,000,000 cu ft), from the drilling site at the Sărmașel gas field.[4] 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 2,400 m2 (26,000 sq ft) plot of land belonging to the church.[5]

According to a CIA report from 1948, 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 (2,077 ft). 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.[6]: 2 

Current production and reserves

The gas produced at Zau de Câmpie and in the surrounding area is considered to be the purest one; it consists of dry gases, usually made of 99% methane, with the rest hydrocarbons (ethane, propane, and butane).[7]: 2  It currently uses a type C 25.1 Thomassen compressor unit to compress the gas extracted in the field.[8]

In 2009, the total proven reserves of the Zau de Câmpie gas field were around 416 billion cubic feet (12 km³), and production was slated to be around 3.6 million cubic feet/day (0.1×105 m³) in 2010.[9] By January 2017, there were 62 active drilling rigs at the site; the reserves of the Zau de Câmpie gas field were estimated at 2.47×10^9 m3 (87×10^9 cu ft), and were slated to be depleted by 2029.[10] In July 2018, the Romgaz lease of the gas field was extended until 2027.[11]

See also

References

  1. ^ Tofan, George-Bogdan; Niță, Adrian (June 2018). "Industrial activities in Mureș County" (PDF). Analele Universității din Oradea, Seria Geografie. XXVIII (1): 36–53.
  2. ^ a b "Top 10 câmpuri petrolifere și gazeifere cu cea mai mare producție din România". www.economica.net (in Romanian). March 15, 2016. Retrieved January 20, 2024.
  3. ^ Berekmeri, Maria-Erzsebet (2006). "Built infrastructure disparities in Romania" (PDF). Romanian Review of Regional Studies. 2 (2): 74–80.
  4. ^ a b Benea, Ionuț (December 28, 2022). "De ce a scăzut producția de gaze în 2022 și cât de vechi sunt zăcămintele exploatate de România" [Why gas production decreased in 2022 and how old are the fields exploited by Romania]. romania.europalibera.org (in Romanian). Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. Retrieved January 20, 2024.
  5. ^ "Atestare istorică". zaudecimpie.ro (in Romanian). Zau de Câmpie town hall. Retrieved January 21, 2024.
  6. ^ "Rumania. Economic – Fuel and power" (PDF), www.cia.gov, Central Intelligence Agency, pp. 1–4, November 1948, retrieved January 21, 2024
  7. ^ Crețu, Simeon. ""Centru" Region Natural and Antropic Potential – Development Prospects" (PDF). shs.hal.science. Agency for Regional Development – Centru. pp. 1–10. Retrieved January 20, 2024.
  8. ^ "Societatea Națională de Gaze Naturale Romgaz S.A. Suc. Tg. Mureș achiziționează servicii mentenanță variatoare de frecvență VSDS". ebuget.ro (in Romanian). Retrieved January 21, 2024.
  9. ^ "Gazul natural" (PDF). BCU Cluj. 2009. Retrieved 2010-08-23.
  10. ^ "Date privind dezvoltarea si exploatarea in perimetrul Zau de Câmpie-Șăulia, jud. Mureș" (PDF). sgg.gov.ro (in Romanian). Government of Romania. Retrieved January 7, 2024.
  11. ^ "Romgaz a cerut prelungirea acordurilor pentru exploatarea a patru perimetre de gaze naturale din județul Mureș". MS News (in Romanian). July 1, 2018. Retrieved January 7, 2024.