Serbia Is Preparing Project for Gas Grid Interconnection with Bulgaria

Serbia is preparing the tender documents for the gas grid interconnection with Bulgaria, according to Energy Minister Aleksandar Antic.

In an interview for the Blic newspaper, as cited by Tanjug and dnevnik.bg, he notes that Serbia’s budget for 2015 envisages funding for the preparation of a new spatial plan which will specify the exact route of the gas pipeline.

“The EU provided funding to Bulgaria for the their section, while we are in talks for the funding of the Serbian stretch,” Antic explained.

The Serbian section of the Bulgaria-Serbia gas grid interconnection is to link Nis to Dimitrovgrad.

“The gas grid interconnection was designed earlier and is not related to the South Stream gas pipeline project,” Blic informs.

On the other hand, Michael Davenport, Head of the EU Delegation to Serbia, made clear that the EU was ready to include Serbia in the project for the construction of a gas interconnection to Bulgaria, thereby contributing to the wider access of Serbia to alternative gas supply sources, including LNG.

“The EU is committed to participating in the financing of the construction of a Serbia-Bulgaria gas grid interconnection. The work on the feasibility studies has been completed with the financial support of the EU and now work on the gas pipeline project is ongoing. Talks are underway,” Davenport added.