Serbia and Bulgaria complete gas interconnector, reducing dependence on Russia

Serbia and Bulgaria have completed a gas interconnector intended to reduce dependence on Russian gas by diversifying supplies, media report. The pipeline runs for 170 kilometers from the Serbian city of Niš to the outskirts of the Bulgarian capital, Sofia. Its annual capacity is 1.8 billion cubic meters, which could cover up to 60 percent of Serbia’s consumption.

The new link will give Serbia access to alternative gas supplies from Greece or Azerbaijan. It will also give Bulgaria access to gas from Western Europe or the Adriatic Sea.

The European Commission (EC) contributed 49.6 million euros (CZK 1.2 billion) to the construction of the interconnector. A further 25 million euros for the project came from a one-off loan from the European Investment Bank (EIB), while Serbia provided 22.5 million euros.

Among those attending today’s inauguration in the city of Niš were Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić, Bulgarian President Rumen Radev and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev. Work on the project began in February this year.

„Today we are changing Europe’s energy map,“ Radev said.

„The connection is important for the entire region. The war in Ukraine has made us think about good neighbourly relations and support,“ Reuters quoted him as saying. „With this connection, in addition to Russian gas, we are also securing alternative supplies of this commodity,“ Serbian Energy Minister Dubravka Đedović Handanović said.

In mid-November, Serbia signed an agreement with Azerbaijan under which it will buy 400 million cubic meters of natural gas annually from 2024.