Serbia, Romania kick off gas interconnection project of 1.6 billion cubic meters per year

Minister of Mining and Energy of Serbia Dubravka Đedović Handanović and Minister of Energy of Romania Sebastian Burduja signed a memorandum of understanding on a gas interconnection project.

By connecting its Mokrin hub with the BRUA pipeline at Petrovaselo east of Timișoara in Romania, Serbia would get another source of natural gas supply. Minister of Mining and Energy Dubravka Đedović Handanović and her Romanian counterpart, Minister of Energy Sebastian Burduja, today signed a memorandum of understanding on the investment.

They agreed for the capacity to be at least 1.6 billion cubic meters a year. The two-way gas pipeline would be 13 kilometers long in Serbia and 86 kilometers in Romania. The Serbian side will be finished by 2027, the Ministry of Mining and Energy said.

“We want to start construction next year, so that this project becomes a reality by 2028 at the latest,” Burduja said following the signing in Kladovo on the Danube, across the way from Romania. The interconnection site would be at the northern side of the border between the two countries.

New stage of bilateral cooperation

Đedović Handanović declared the beginning of another stage of bilateral cooperation in energy, adding that it has lasted for over five decades. Notably, last year electricity accounted for 28% of the trade exchange, she recalled.

“Thanks to linking with Romania and Bulgaria, and in the forthcoming period with North Macedonia as well, Serbia is becoming an indispensable transit country and an important partner in ensuring the energy security of Central and Eastern European countries when it comes to gas supply,” the minister asserted.

Romania wants lead role in EU in gas production

Romania accounted for almost 30% of gas production in the European Union in the fist quarter, Burduja said.

The national company, Romgaz, has great plans still. Neptun Deep, an offshore gas production investment in the Black Sea of EUR 4 billion, will double Romania’s output from 2027, according to the minister.

In addition, drilling at the Caragele onshore site is more intensive than ever, thanks to an investment program of more than EUR 200 million, he pointed out and added that good news is expected already this year. Namely, the field is scheduled to reach full capacity.

Gas to be carried from Black Sea

Romania’s transmission system operator Transgaz is working rapidly to complete the segment from the Black Sea coast at Tuzla to Podișor in the country’s south, Burduja said. It is the last one within the BRUA project. The gas pipeline, which runs to the western border, got its name after the initials of Bulgaria, Romania, Ukraine and Austria. It will carry fossil gas coming from offshore platforms.

Burduja stressed that Romania is promoting the so-called Vertical Gas Corridor, too. The initiative envisages connecting Greece, Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary, Slovakia, Moldova and Ukraine. It means the pipeline would transport the fuel from two more directions other than Russia.

The minister went on to say that the power interconnection between Reșița in Romania and Pančevo in Serbia would be completed next year. It is part of the Trans-Balkan Electricity Corridor.

The Serbian ministry said that Đedović-Handanović and Burduja also spoke about the project for the Đerdap 3 pumped storage hydropower plant. The two countries share the Đerdap 1 and 2 (Iron Gate) hydropower complex on the Danube. It is called Porțile de Fier in Romania.