Major methane emissions continue across Romania’s oil and gas infrastructure, underscoring urgent need to defend EU Methane Regulation
BUCHAREST, ROMANIA – Between 8–16 July 2025, 2 Celsius, Clean Air Task Force (CATF), and the Center for Climate Crime Analysis (CCCA) conducted a methane emissions documentation campaign across Romania, surveying over 75 oil and gas facilities using optical gas imaging (OGI) technology.
Key Findings
- Methane emissions were detected at 66 of the 75 sites visited, confirming the systemic nature of the issue.
- At 39 oil and gas wells — 75% of those inspected — fugitive emissions (leaks) were detected from valves, gauges, and other elements of wellheads.
- All 22 gathering, processing and storage facilities investigated were found to be emitting methane, including through open thief hatches and pressure relief valves. Large venting events were documented from the stacks at four of them.
- All four compressor stations inspected showed significant venting from relief vents. At three stations, equipment failures were documented from poorly sealed compressors and leaky piping.
Visual evidence was captured at abandoned and active wells, processing facilities, storage tanks, and compressor stations. Footage was recorded by Théophile Humann-Guilleminot, certified ITEMA Level 1 Infrared Thermographer, using a FLIR GF320 camera, an industry-standard tool calibrated to detect hydrocarbons and particularly methane.
Evidence of Progress — and Urgency
Since 2021, CATF and 2 Celsius have conducted 185 site visits across more than 250 locations, documenting 444 individual sources of methane emissions, both intentional and fugitive. Of these, 112 sources were recorded in 2025 alone.
While earlier fieldwork in Romania exposed severe fugitive emissions from damaged pipelines and units, and routine venting from outdated equipment, recent visits have also revealed notable improvements at some sites visited over the years by CATF. In many cases, the remaining emissions stemmed from poor operational practices, such as leaving “thief hatches” — small access lids on oil storage and separator tanks — open, allowing methane to escape.
These improvements suggest that the EU Methane Regulation is already having a positive impact, underscoring the need for consistent implementation and a steady, manageable transition for field operations rather than abrupt changes potentially caused by regulatory uncertainty.
Although draft texts have been circulating since July 2025, Romania has yet to adopt the emergency ordinance required to designate competent authorities and establish penalties under the EU Methane Regulation. In the absence of this legal framework, operators have already met several early milestones, including the preparation of Leak Detection and Repair (LDAR) programmes by 5 May 2025 and the submission of their first annual source-level methane reports by 5 August 2025.
However, the proposed penalty system remains inadequate—lacking clear deterrent effect, cumulative sanctions, or meaningful per-day fines—raising concerns that enforcement will remain largely symbolic. While the National Agency for Mineral Resources has begun compiling lists of inactive and orphan wells, effective implementation still hinges on the swift adoption of a stronger ordinance. Until then, with industry progressing and state oversight lagging behind, uncertainty persists around enforcement, accountability, and Romania’s capacity to fully implement the Regulation.
“Methane pollution remains widespread in Romania, as our campaign has documented significant emissions across all stages of oil and gas production, storage, and transport. Fortunately, we now have both the regulatory framework and the necessary tools to address this issue and hold operators accountable. The European methane regulation is already starting to deliver results. This is the time to implement it fully, not to weaken it.” — Théophile Humann-Guilleminot, Senior Campaign Manager, Methane Pollution Prevention, Clean Air Task Force
“Operators have already shown that fixing leaks and upgrading equipment is both possible and affordable. It’s not easy work, but it’s the responsible and necessary thing to do—for the climate, but also for workers, and for nearby communities exposed to toxic air from leaks ignored for years or even decades. This problem has long been overlooked. Weakening the rules now would only reward those who chose inaction over responsibility.” — Mihai Stoica, Executive Director, 2Celsius
“The emissions we observed on the ground confirm what satellites have been documenting worldwide: that methane pollution is a global crisis demanding urgent action. With growing momentum and proven solutions at hand, Europe should be doubling down on its methane rules, not rolling them back.” — Julia Solana, Methane Program Director, Center for Climate Crime Analysis
Policy Context
The investigation comes amid ongoing calls to preserve the integrity of the EU Methane Regulation and to resist recent proposals to amend or “simplify” compliance measures, which could lead to weakening rather than improvement.
More recently, 42 investors representing €4.5 trillion have called on the EU to fully implement the EU Methane Regulation.
Methane is a climate super-pollutant, with 80 times the warming power of CO₂ over 20 years, and is highly flammable. It is often co-emitted with toxic gases like benzene, hexane, and hydrogen sulfide (H₂S), posing additional occupational and community health risks.
Press Contact
Julia Kislitsyna, Communications Manager, Europe, [email protected], +49 151 16220453
About Clean Air Task Force
Clean Air Task Force (CATF) is a global nonprofit organisation working to safeguard against the worst impacts of climate change by catalysing the rapid development and deployment of low-carbon energy and other climate-protecting technologies. With more than 25 years of internationally recognised expertise on climate policy and a fierce commitment to exploring all potential solutions, CATF is a pragmatic, non-ideological advocacy group with the bold ideas needed to address climate change. CATF has offices in Boston, Washington D.C., and Brussels, with staff working virtually around the world. Visit catf.us and follow @cleanaircatf.
About 2 Celsius
2Celsius Association is a Romanian environmental research and advocacy organization focusing on climate change and sustainability in Central and Eastern Europe. We engage in public policy analysis, strategic litigation, environmental media production, and projects related to clean transport, biodiversity, bioenergy, and emissions reduction, including methane. We are a full-fledged member of several major European environmental networks, such as Transport & Environment, the European Environmental Bureau, and the Climate Action Network.
About Center for Climate Crime Analysis (CCCA)
The Center for Climate Crime Analysis (CCCA) is a non-profit organization designed to support and scale up climate action worldwide. We are a diverse team of lawyers, data scientists, remote sensing analysts, anthropologists, and environmental engineers working all over the world. We fight climate change by using the combined power of law, data and analysis to support allies fighting for climate justice and human rights, enable compliance with climate commitments, and hold accountable those causing the climate crisis. Visit climatecrimeanalysis.org.
