Doris Leblond
OGJ Correspondent
PARIS, Oct. 5 -- Gaz de France has acquired a 59% stake in Depomures, the second-largest natural gas storage operator in Romania, and manager of the Tirgo Mures storage facility in the northern part of that country.
Tirgo Mures, which lies in a depleted gas field, can store as much as 300 million cu m of gas—a capacity that could increase to 600 million cu m by 2011-12.
Other Depomures interest holders include Romgaz 40% and other minority shareholders 1%.
GDF already holds 65% interest in Amgaz, the third-largest Romanian gas storage operator with a capacity of 40 million cu m of gas. This latest deal sets up GDF as one of the largest private investors in the Romanian gas storage market.