Dubravka Djedovic Handanovic (BETAPHOTO/MILAN OBRADOVIC)
Energy Minister Dubravka Djedovic Handanovic on Oct. 6 said that Serbia will start laying pipes for a gas interconnector with North Macedonia, on a five-kilometer section near Vranjska Banja, next week. The gas interconnector in Serbia's territory is planned to be around 145 km long.
After the Second Summit of the energy ministers of Serbia, Greece, Bulgaria, and North Macedonia in Belgrade, the minister said that pipes for 15 kilometers of the gas interconnector will be obtained by the end of October, but that it is extremely important that natural gas provider Srbijagas continues to solve issues related to land expropriation on the route for to enable works to proceed according to plan.
“Our goal is to have the gas interconnector completed by the first quarter of 2028, but in order to achieve that, it is necessary to resolve all issues related to land expropriation,” the minister stressed. She also said that the Greece-North Macedonia interconnector is expected to become operational during 2027, adding that Greece is the gate for Southern Europe to, via the Balkans, supply large quantities of gas to Central Europe through the Balkans.
The meeting also discussed new interconnectors for electricity transmission, and particularly the construction of the Balkan Corridor. Djedovic Handanovic said that a new 400 KV transmission grid route will enable better and large exchanges of electricity. “Bulgaria and Greece are members of the EU and can help Serbia and North Macedonia in terms of the dialogue on the energy sector and connection to the electricity market,” the minister said.
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