Serbia plans to build new interconnector to increase gas supplies from Azerbaijan

Serbia plans to build new interconnector to increase gas supplies from Azerbaijan
Serbia plans to build a new interconnector to increase imports of Azerbaijani gas, acting assistant to the Minister for Oil and Gas of the Ministry of Mining and Energy of Serbia Sasa Kokovic said during the 30th Baku Energy Forum.

"Now we have the opportunity to receive Azerbaijani natural gas and transmit it further - to Hungary. However, for this, it is necessary to modernize the internal gas transportation system, the construction of which began in the 1960s. Azerbaijan has become a new strategic partner for us and part of a new system that will allow us to diversify supplies after Russian gas - precisely due to the connection point to the interconnector," Kokovic noted.

He added that diversification of sources and supply routes through border interconnectors is a critical task for Serbia and is expected to be implemented in the next three years.

"We are considering connecting to the gas transportation system of Romania in the north and North Macedonia in the south. With the support of the European Union and thanks to the construction of the interconnector with North Macedonia, we will gain access to the Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP), and therefore to the Southern Gas Corridor. We are also continuing to work on issues related to access to the LNG terminal in Greece," he said.

Kokovic emphasized that the successful implementation of these infrastructure projects is key to increasing the country's energy security - both in terms of gas and oil supplies.

"We hope that in the future, together with the State Oil Company of Azerbaijan (SOCAR), we will find optimal solutions both in terms of consumption volumes and throughput capacity. Given the potential of Azerbaijan, we hope that through the new interconnector in the Kalotina region - on the border with Bulgaria - we will be able to receive more natural gas along this route," the ministry representative added.