Today Gazprom began supplying gas to Serbia, as well as to Bosnia and Herzegovina via a new route - through the territories of Turkey and Bulgaria.
Gas from Russia is transported via the Turkish Stream offshore gas pipeline and further through Turkey. Then it goes to Serbia via the national gas transportation system of Bulgaria. Here gas is distributed and supplied to consumers in Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Deliveries along this route became possible thanks to the expansion and commissioning of new gas transmission capacities by Bulgartransgaz EAD in Bulgaria and GASTRANS d.o.o. Novi Sad in Serbia.
Turkish Stream is a modern, efficient and reliable gas pipeline demanded by European consumers. The number of European countries that receive Russian gas with the help of the Turkish Stream has grown to six. Now, along with Bulgaria, Greece, North Macedonia and Romania, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina have provided themselves with such an opportunity, ”said Alexey Miller, Chairman of the Gazprom Management Committee.
The gas pipeline launch ceremony took place on the morning of January 1. It was attended by President of Serbia Aleksandr Vucic, Russian Ambassador to Serbia Aleksandr Botan-Kharchenko, General Director of Serbiyagaz Dusan Bayatovic, as well as representatives of Russian companies that built the gas pipeline.
According to Mr. Vucic, Serbia can save more than $ 70 per 1,000 cubic meters of gas on this. “Serbia has become much richer after the gas was connected. The price for 1 thousand cubic meters will be $ 155 at the entrance from Bulgaria, plus from $ 12 to $ 14 transportation costs in our network, previously it was $ 240, "the head of state said.
In 2019, Serbia bought 2.135 billion cubic meters from Gazprom. m of gas, for 10 months of 2020 - 960 million cubic meters. m.
Balkan Stream continues the Turkish Stream gas pipeline, which runs along the bottom of the Black Sea from Russia to Turkey. From there, gas is exported to Greece, Bulgaria and North Macedonia. The Serbian authorities planned to launch the Balkan Stream in November, but the commissioning was postponed. Previously, gas to Serbia from Russia was supplied through Ukraine and Hungary.
