Southern Gas Interconnection and security of gas supply for 'Croatian population' in BiH

By: Almir Bečarević

The Croatian National Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina adopted the Declaration at its 11th session, defining the directions of its activities in 8 points. In the section „Economy“, the HNS also touched upon the Southern Gas Interconnection in the following manner, quote: „The HNS BiH will work on increasing energy security in BiH. The Southern interconnection of the gas transport systems of Croatia and BiH has strategic importance for the security of supply of BiH and the Croatian population in BiH.

HNS BiH will encourage supply from different energy sources and directions, including investment in renewable energy sources with the aim of ensuring energy stability and environmental protection. It is necessary to develop an energy strategy that will ensure sources, application and distribution of energy, as well as connectivity with global energy markets. Major climate changes indicate the inevitability of changing the economic concept, a more rational approach to energy use and reduction of harmful gas emissions, as well as all forms of environmental pollution.“

When you look at the marked part, we see a nice form of expression and sentences that give strength that the interconnection of gas transport systems between BiH and Croatia will be built.
What remains unclear is what this interconnection means from the aspect of only the Croatian population in BiH in relation to the Bosniak people in BiH? Is this a way to divide energy projects, and any other, along national lines and keys?

From the east we have the New Eastern Gas Interconnection of importance for the Serbian people in BiH, and from the south we now have the Southern Gas Interconnection of importance for the Croatian people in BiH. In this national determination of gas interconnections, I now miss a „Bosniak“ and „other“ gas project so that everything would be nationally colored and all peoples satisfied because they have their own interconnections.

That with such approaches all these interconnections will probably not even be built is irrelevant, because it is important that we have on paper the security of supply for the Croatian, Serbian or Bosniak population.

Why the Southern Gas Interconnection would be of interest only to the Croatian population is probably not clear even to the author of this part of the Declaration, because if he understood anything about that project, he would realize that the Southern line has its endpoint in Sarajevo.

In Sarajevo, compared to the whole of BiH, natural gas is used the most for heating homes, so it remains unclear whether the Bosniak people would be allowed to warm themselves a little via the Southern line. Would it be allowed, for the sake of the economic viability of the entire project, for Bosniaks to be designated as a population with an interest in being securely supplied with natural gas. Did someone need to explain to the authors of this part of the Declaration that perhaps Bosniaks brought the Southern project to the main project stage, drafted the law on the Southern Interconnection and signed all documents with the company Plinacro (Croatia), and never at any point emphasized that the project is of Bosniak interest, but rather a project of interest for BiH/FBiH and of interest for Herzegovina, Central Bosnia, Sarajevo, and ultimately Zvornik.

All of them looked at all peoples, but emphasized the economic vision of the project until these ones who now throw out the „hated Bosniak“ BH-Gas, and insert into the law text the friendly company Southern Gas Interconnection. To make things even more interesting, now in the Southern Gas Interconnection project, the branch for Mostar is not emphasized; presumably the author of the Declaration knows the technical side of the project better, because that way it is „as if“ now one project, and when there is a branch it is „not“. The fact that a station must be built for Mostar, that the pipe diameter is smaller and that the branch is emphasized to mark Mostar as a significant potential consumer does not matter, because through the interest of the „Croatian population“ Mostar is apparently implied.

Finally, I express regret to the authors of the part of the Declaration on the Southern Gas Interconnection, because this is not a promotion of the project but rather an emphasis on the national through marking the territory (of the Croatian population) through which the pipeline should pass, while neglecting the main user of that gas, the city of Sarajevo.

This is a way for the Southern Gas Interconnection to never see the light of day and only a tool for the New Eastern Interconnection to be a project that is realistic, and which again needs Sarajevo as a gas consumer.