Petrom Enters Power Market

Petrom approved in the meeting of the Supervisory Board on June 15 the project to build a gas-fired power plant. The total investment for the plant including infrastructure investments will amount to approximately 500 million EUR. Werner Schinhan, Deputy Chief Executive Officer of Petrom: "The power market will be subject to major structural changes, especially in those countries where aged capacities are to be replaced by new, cleaner less carbon intense technologies. Considering this environment, to enter the power market is an excellent opportunity for Petrom, one of the major gas producers in Romania. This project sets the strategic growth path of Petrom and OMV Group as it is one of the company"s sources of diversification and sustainable development."

The 860 MW power plant will be built on the premises of Petrobrazi refinery and will be supplied with natural gas through a pipeline of Transgaz. Approximately 20% of the power plant capacity will be used to supply the demand of own consumption (both in Refining as well as in the Exploration and Production segment) and the rest will be distributed in the national power grid. The construction of the power plant will start in 2008 and full production capacity of the plant is likely to be delivered to the Romanian power grid by end of 2010.

"The new power plant will have a major contribution to the increase of Romania"s energy security and to the reduction of environmental impact. It is a project developed in accordance with the European energy strategy and in line with EU environmental requirements", added Schinhan.

Petrom is the largest Romanian oil and gas group, with activities in the business segments of Exploration and Production, Refining and Petrochemicals, Natural Gas, as well as Sales and Marketing. In 2006 the turnover of Petrom was 3,709 million EUR, while EBITDA amounted to 1,020 million EUR. The majority shareholder is OMV, the leading oil and gas group in Central Europe, with 51.011% in Petrom, followed by the Romanian state (30.862%), Property Fund SA (9.887%), the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (2.026%) and others (6.214%).