TurkStream gas pipeline opened in Serbia, Vučić announced gas for BiH?

(Patria) - The "Balkan Stream" main gas pipeline in Serbia, which delivers Russian gas via Turkey and Bulgaria, was officially put into operation this morning in Gospođinci, near Žabalj.

"This is of crucial importance for the further development of Serbia. This is of enormous importance to us, for the industry and progress of the Serbian economy, and for all residents of our country," said Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić at the official opening of the pipeline and thanked everyone who worked on the project.

Vučić also said that Serbia has secured energy stability and security with this pipeline, and that gas is being procured through this pipeline at a price of up to 155 dollars, with much lower transport costs.

"With this gas, we ensure energy security and gain the opportunity to attract additional investors," he said and announced that gas will be brought to many more municipalities.

He explained that through the pipeline across Serbia, gas will go to Hungary and Bosnia and Herzegovina, and that there is a possibility it will go to other countries in the region.

The length of the main gas pipeline in Serbia is 403 kilometers, entering Serbia near Zaječar and exiting from Zaječar to Horgos.

Balkan Stream is part of the "TurkStream" pipeline, a project by Russia's Gazprom and Turkey's Botas, which is intended to ensure a stable gas supply to Turkey, southern and southeastern Europe. The pipeline is 930 kilometers long with a capacity of 31.5 billion cubic meters of gas annually. The first branch passes through Turkey, while the second branch goes towards Bulgaria, Serbia, and Hungary. Serbia and Bulgaria call this part of the pipeline "Balkan Stream".

The capacity of each branch is 15.75 billion cubic meters of gas. This amount of energy is sufficient to meet the needs of 15 million medium-sized households.

Precisely because of this flow, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of BiH, Bisera Turković, sent a diplomatic note to the Russian Federation. The Russian company Gazprom informed Energoinvest that from January 1, it intends to supply the Federation of BiH with gas via TurkStream. That deadline has been extended to the end of March, but the question is what will happen next. So far, BiH has received gas via Ukraine and Hungary, and if it were to switch to TurkStream, BiH Gazprom would reach Zvornik, where BH Gas does not have a measuring station at the receiving point.