The new gas pipeline between Bulgaria and southern Serbia is operational. The aim is to reduce Serbia's dependence on Russian gas imports.
Aiming for wider gas supplies in Central and Southeast Europe, a new gas pipeline has come into operation in southern Serbia, connecting the Balkan country with neighboring EU country Bulgaria. The opening ceremony at the Trupale junction near Nis on Sunday was attended by the presidents of Serbia Aleksandar Vucic, Bulgaria's Rumen Radev and Azerbaijan's Ilham Aliyev, Serbian state television RTS reported.
Using the new pipeline, Serbia and other countries in Central and Southeast Europe can now purchase natural gas directly from Azerbaijan and the Caspian Sea region. This reduces these countries' dependence on gas imports from Russia, which is waging a war of aggression against Ukraine. The gas pipeline is 170 kilometers long, of which 109 kilometers are in Serbia. It has a capacity of 1.8 billion cubic meters per year.
Construction time was just under a year. The cost of the Serbian section is 85.5 million euros. The EU supported the project with grants of €49.6 million and loans of €25 million. Serbia is not an EU country and has been negotiating membership since 2014. (APA)