Photo: Stavros Papastavrou, Kiril Temelkov, Sanja Božinovska and Dubravka Đedović Handanović (Nenad Kostić / Ministry of Mining and Energy)
A meeting between energy ministers and officials from Serbia, Greece, North Macedonia and Bulgaria took place today in Athens, regarding natural gas supply. Minister of Environment and Energy of Greece Stavros Papastavrou said the Vertical Corridor would be expanded to North Macedonia and Serbia.
Greece, Bulgaria and Romania have already completed major milestones for the Vertical Corridor for supplying gas all the way to Ukraine and Moldova. They include upgrades to infrastructure, new pipelines like Interconnector Greece-Bulgaria (IGB) and commercial deals and special auctions. Now the same logic is applied to the western part of the Balkans through the creation of a new branch of the Vertical Corridor.
The main topic of the meeting of top energy officials from Serbia, Greece, North Macedonia and Bulgaria in Athens today was gas interconnection projects Greece – North Macedonia and North Macedonia – Serbia. The first pipeline is under construction and planned for completion this year. It will enable the supply of natural gas northward from Greek liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminals in Revithoussa (Revythousa) and Alexandroupolis, as well as pipeline gas, like from Azerbaijan.
Serbia to invest EUR 1.2 billion in gas infrastructure
The next link in the chain, between North Macedonia and Serbia, will be completed by the end of 2027, according to Serbian Minister of Mining and Energy Dubravka Đedović Handanović. Currently in the spatial planning stage, it would reach the southern city of Vranje. The proposed capacity is 1.5 billion cubic meters of gas per year.
Serbia aims to invest EUR 1.2 billion in gas infrastructure and upgrading existing pipelines, in her words.
“By the end of next year, we will be ready and the interconnection between Greece, North Macedonia and Serbia will be operational,” North Macedonian Minister of Energy, Mining and Mineral Resources Sanja Božinovska stated.
She stressed that the tender for the pipeline to Serbia was launched yesterday.
“Greece plays a leading role in the new European architecture with projects of strategic importance. Infrastructure, interconnections, market coupling, the Vertical Corridor – projects that enhance the security of supply, strengthen geopolitical stability and create conditions for development in the region. Today we agreed on the expansion of the Vertical Corridor with North Macedonia and Serbia, as well as to institutionalize the cooperation between the four countries,” said Greek Minister of Environment and Energy Stavros Papastavrou.
Deputy Minister of Energy Kiril Temelkov represented Bulgaria.
Meetings planned in Belgrade, Skopje, Sofia
The four officials scheduled another meeting in September in Belgrade, with future ones planned to take place in Skopje and Sofia.
Representatives of transmission system operators for gas and electricity from the four countries attended the meeting.
Be the first one to comment on this article.