USTDA to finance Transgaz project

The US Trade and Developement Agency (USTDA) offered Transgaz 956,000 USD in non reimbursable funding for its gas pipe expansion project. Apparently the deal was signed by US Ambassador to Romania, Hans Klemm and the General Director of Transgaz, Petru Ion Vaduva, on September 24, 2015.
Agerpres reports that the funding will allow for a feasibility study for the purpose of improving the technical project, i.e. building the Romanian portion of the Bulgaria- Romania- Hungary-Austria gas pipe project and the Black Sea-Podisor pipeline. The projects are purportedly necessary for growing the pipeline's capacity and the natural gas transport system's pressure. This would eventually lead to greater energy security in the region. The US Ambassador to Romania apparently stressed the importance of the project, and underlined its role in strengthening bilateral commercial relations between his country and Romania. A Romanian commercial delegation visited the US in 2013 and laid the groundwork for the current funding agreement, which was approved by the USTDA at the end of August. The visit was also sponsored by the USTDA. All that is left now is for the American contracting firm to be chosen so that they may evaluate, validate and improve the feasibility study in order to complete it by April 2016.