Romania faces fuel supply strain as Kazakhstan halts CPC oil deliveries; interim PM says no shortages for two weeks

Supply secured for two weeks

Interim Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan told a press conference on 23 July that Romania faces no immediate fuel shortages, despite Kazakhstan's suspension of oil deliveries through the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC) to the Russian terminal of Novorossiysk. The halt followed Ukrainian drone attacks on tankers in the Black Sea, which have raised risks for shippers. After an emergency meeting at the Ministry of Energy with oil companies and distributors, Bolojan said the market is stable for the near term.

At least for the next two weeks we do not estimate there will be supply problems.

The Ministry of Energy confirmed that weekly coordination meetings are ongoing, with Secretary of State Cristian Bușoi and Secretary General Sorin Elisei leading talks. Companies assured that demand for the coming period is covered and no major disruptions are foreseen.

Rompetrol's search for alternatives

The main exposure is Rompetrol, which sources crude from Kazakhstan for its Petromidia refinery. The company is actively seeking alternative transport routes to maintain normal refining operations into August. If no solution is found, Petromidia's output could drop by 10-15% during August, Bolojan warned.

The Rompetrol company, which sources from Kazakhstan, is looking for additional transport options so that it can refine normally in August as well. If this problem is not resolved, it estimates a 10-15% production cut in August at the Petromidia refinery.

The refinery, located on the Black Sea coast, is a key supplier for the domestic market. A sustained reduction would tighten fuel availability later in the summer, though officials stress that current stocks are sufficient.

Railway gridlock hits western Romania

A separate domestic bottleneck is compounding the supply challenge. Maintenance works on the Constanța-Fetești railway line, combined with heavy summer passenger traffic to the seaside, have blocked the regular flow of fuel trains from the Oil Terminal depot to western regions. Bolojan said depot reserves in the west are "at the limit."

The depot that supplies all of Romania from Oil Terminal cannot deliver fuel trains to the west on schedule, because of passenger trains, more intense towards the seaside during summer. The activity will be transferred to nighttime so that we do not have problems in the coming period.

Following discussions with the national railway company CFR and the Ministry of Transport, authorities agreed to shift fuel train movements to nighttime hours. The measure aims to restore cadence and prevent shortages in the west, where stocks are critically low.

Government response and price concerns

Bolojan cautioned that his interim government has limited tools to intervene on fuel prices, and urged Parliament to weigh any legislative price caps carefully. He discussed a possible mechanism with Finance Minister Alexandru Nazare, but stressed that any intervention must not disrupt economic activity or create a fuel deficit.

The Ministry of Energy pledged to use all legal levers, with government support, to ensure continuous supply. The international context remains tense: the Strait of Hormuz is blocked, and security in the Black Sea is deteriorating, adding pressure on global oil logistics. For now, Romanian authorities are focused on the immediate two-week window and the search for alternative crude routes for Rompetrol.