Serbia launches tenders for new gas interconnector with Romania — works planned from early next year

Dubravka Đedović Handanović, the caretaker Minister of Mining and Energy, stated — as Danas reports — that tender procedures for the new gas interconnector between Serbia and Romania are expected to be launched in the coming period, with works planned to begin early next year.

“We have largely completed the design and technical documentation for the pipeline to the Romanian border, about 13 kilometers long, while the completion of works on this section is expected during next year,” the minister said after a meeting with the Romanian ambassador, Silvia Davidoju, where the two countries’ cooperation in energy was discussed.

She stressed that the new interconnector will contribute to diversifying the sources and directions of natural gas supply and will further improve Serbia’s energy security: “The more interconnectors and supply directions we have, the safer and more resilient our energy system will be.”

She also announced that last week the World Bank approved the Program for the development of the gas sector in Serbia, whose goal is to improve the security, reliability and resilience of energy supply through investments in strategic gas infrastructure. Under the program, around 150 kilometers of new pipelines are planned, linking the new interconnector with Romania to the underground gas storage in Banatski Dvor, Belgrade and Pančevo, as well as to the northern direction toward Horgoš, to enable the new interconnector to operate at full capacity.

Ambassador Davidoju stressed that the gas interconnector with Serbia is of great importance for Romania as well, both for the gasification of the country’s interior regions and for its positioning in the region as a significant energy supplier.