Serbia–North Macedonia gas interconnector construction to start this year

Construction of the Serbia–North Macedonia gas interconnector will begin this year and is expected to be operational by early 2028.

According to Report's Balkan bureau, Serbia's Minister of Mining and Energy, Dubravka Đedović Handanović, stated this while discussing with Greece's Minister of Energy and Environment, Stavros Papastavrou, cooperation in the energy transition process, diversification of energy supply, and the impact of the war in the Middle East on the region's energy sector.

Handanović noted that the current global fuel price situation is very problematic:

"On March 20 we will make a decision on prices for the next seven days. I remind you that last week we increased the price of diesel by 5 dinars and gasoline by 2 dinars, and the week before, both by 3 dinars. We will try to stay within this framework and may even test lower levels. Looking at the exchanges, the real price would be 240–250 dinars, but we will not allow that."

Speaking about the diversification of natural gas supply, the minister highlighted that Serbia plans to build two new gas interconnectors with North Macedonia and Romania:

"This will provide more than 4 billion cubic meters of additional gas per year. Construction of the Serbia–North Macedonia gas interconnector will begin this year and is expected to be operational by early 2028. The planned capacity of the interconnector with North Macedonia is about 1.5 billion cubic meters of gas. This will give us an additional route to deliver gas to Serbia from various sources, including the TANAP pipeline and LNG terminals in Greece. The goal is to achieve more alternatives for gas supply and higher energy security."

During the meeting, the ministers also emphasized the importance of strengthening cooperation and coordination in the energy sector among Serbia, Greece, North Macedonia, and Bulgaria.

Cooperation in the field of renewable energy sources was also discussed.

"Like us, Greece has long depended on coal, but today 55% of its electricity is produced from renewable sources. Our goal is to reach 3.5 gigawatts of installed capacity and a 45% share of electricity production by 2030. We are carefully planning the development of this sector and investing in the transmission network to maintain supply stability. Greece's experience is very important to us on this path," the Serbian minister said.

She added that Serbia has completed all essential steps to integrate with the European Union's electricity market, and the approval process by European institutions is currently underway:

"We will be the first country to join the EU electricity market without being a member state. We will initially connect with Hungary and hope that the EU approval process will be completed soon. For this, Greece's support is crucial. Market integration is very important for supply security and increases the overall safety of the region."

Greece's Minister of Environment and Energy, Stavros Papastavrou, stated that the energy cooperation developed in recent months is not only bilateral but is significant for Southeast Europe as a whole and contributes to regional integration.