Tender for Contractor for Serbia-Bulgaria Interconnector Between January 20 and 25

Serbia wants to enable the transit of gas from various states, and not just from Russia, through its territory and to connect by interconnectors with all the neighboring states in the region, stated Serbian Minister of Mining and Energy Zorana Mihajlovic.

Mihajlovic told Radio slobodna Evropa (Radio Free Europe) that she is convinced that Serbia would manage to harmonize with the EU regulations, that it would carry out the diversification of gas sources, enabling competition, as she points out, but also that it would transform public enterprises in the energy sector, which “operate at the cost of the state and with losses” at the moment.

She points out that it is good for Serbia that now it has two gas routes, although the supplier is the same on both – Russia.

Mihajlovic says that the other route is important, because, she reminds, it often happens that there are problems with gas transit through Ukraine.

– What’s important is to try to diversify the suppliers, because it opens the possibility of having the gas price lower for the populace and the economy. Let me just remind that the price of natural gas for the economy in Serbia is the highest in Europe – Mihajlovic said.

She announced that the tender for the interconnection between Nis and Dimitrovgrad would open in late January and added that the gas pipeline went down the Nis-Dimitrovgrad-Sofia route.

On the other hand, she explains, there’s the possibility of receiving gas through another source through that pipeline, both the gas related to Azerbaijan and a new gas pipeline that has been discussed for years, which is fully supported by both the European Union and the United States – the so-called Eastern Mediterranean Gas Pipeline that begins in Israel.

– So, Israel, Cyprus, Crete, Peloponnese, Athens, Thessaloniki and finally Sofia and Nis – Mihajlovic says.

– Serbia is a country that wants to build gas power plants. To us, gas is essential and on top of that we are a transit state. I’m in favor of accommodating everything – the LNG that will be transported by ships, that is, from America, but also potential additional gas suppliers – Mihajlovic concluded.

Ministarstvo rudarstva i energetike Republike Srbije

Ministry of Mining and Energy

Zorana Mihajlovic

diversification of gas

interconnector

tender for interconnection between Nis and Dimitrovgrad

Nis Dimitrovgrad Sofia gas pipeline

Eastern Mediteranean Gas Pipeline

Crete

Peloponnese

Athens

Thessaloniki

TAP

Trans Adriatic Gas Pipeline

supervision over construction

liquefied gas

LNG

gas power plants