Serbia may receive up to 2 mcm of Azerbaijani gas per day this winter - Serbian minister
BAKU. Jan 9 (Interfax) - Serbia is expecting the daily delivery of up to 2 million cubic meters of gas from Azerbaijan this winter, Serbian Mining and Energy Minister Dubravka Dedovic Handanovic said.
"Currently, about 440 mcm of gas are being stored at the Banatski Dvor underground facility in Hungary. We have launched a project to expand the Banatski Dvor and its capacity. We have also secured gas supply from Russia and Azerbaijan," Dedovic Handanovic said in an interview with the Serbian media outlet Blic Biznis on January 1.
Cooperation with Azerbaijan and Russia ensures stable and safe gas supply to Serbia, she said.
"Serbia has secured gas supply through the Balkans thanks to cooperation with Gazprom. Contacts with Azerbaijan provide additional security, as we will be able to receive up to 2 mcm of gas per day from them this winter," Dedovic Handanovic said.
"This gas is important not only for heating plants and industries, but also as a for a gas power plant we are planning to build near the city of Nis. A delegation from Azerbaijan visited Serbia recently, and we will soon sign a cooperation agreement on this strategically important project," she said.
Gas power plants have a high significance at a time of increased consumption, being a stable source of basic energy, Dedovic Handanovic said.
"The energy crisis experience teaches us that we must strengthen our own capacities and supplies first and foremost, while ensuring better connections with neighboring countries from or through which we can obtain electricity or other kinds of energy," she said.
Government priorities include the development of renewable energy, the construction of new gas connections with North Macedonia and Romania, and the oil pipeline project to Hungary, Dedovic Handanovic said.
"In the area of power transmission, projects that will further connect us and increase capacity with Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Hungary and Bulgaria are of particular importance. Funds are also provided for further modernization of the distribution network," she said.
As reported, the State Oil Company of Azerbaijan (SOCAR) and the Serbian company Srbijagas signed an agreement on the supply of Azerbaijani gas to Serbia on November 15, 2023. The agreement provides for the supply of up to 400 million cubic meters of gas per year from Azerbaijan to Serbia in 2024-2026, with the possibility of increasing the volume of supplies from 2027. In addition, on September 26, 2024, SOCAR and Srbijagas signed a contract for the purchase and sale of additional Azerbaijani gas to Serbia in the amount of 1 mcm per day between November 1, 2024 and April 1, 2025.