BH-Gas Reaction: RS Tries to Blackmail Gas Development in the Federation

BH-Gas expresses regret over the 'agreed position' to support the construction of a low-pressure gas pipeline from Croatia to Bosnia and Herzegovina, exclusively for the needs of supplying the Oil Refinery in Brod, BH-Gas reacted. The realization of this idea, adds this state company, would be a unique example in the world of countries connecting through international gas interconnections with low-pressure pipelines.

A delegation from BiH participating in the session of the Intergovernmental Bosnian-Herzegovinian-Russian Commission for Trade and Economic Cooperation agreed on several issues regarding the improvement of economic cooperation between the two countries. Among other things, the parties also agreed to support the Oil Refinery in Brod in the construction of a low-pressure gas pipeline from Croatia to Bosnia and Herzegovina for the supply of gas to this company. The BiH delegation is led by the Minister of Foreign Trade and Economic Relations of BiH, Mirko Šarović. BH-Gas reacted sharply to the announcement that a low-pressure gas pipeline could connect the Oil Refinery in Brod with Croatia.

- Bosnia and Herzegovina, specifically BH-Gas, has nominated the Brod-Zenica transport gas pipeline construction project, which would connect the gas networks of the two neighboring countries and thus enable the supply of both the Brod Refinery and consumers in Republika Srpska and consumers in the Federation of BiH with this energy source. The EU has included this proposed gas pipeline in its gas interconnection development plans within the South European Gas Ring (EC Ring) project.
Similarly, no study, no development plan, and no initiative from the EU, the Energy Community, or BiH has planned the construction of a low-pressure gas pipeline between Croatia and BiH. This 'agreed position' directly influences BiH to permanently lose a second natural gas input for BiH and supply security, and it would become the first country in the world to connect to a neighboring country via a low-pressure gas pipeline. At the same time, on the basis of which analyses, agreements, and authorizations the BiH delegation 'agreed' to the aforementioned is unknown to us, as is the fact that this project has ever been mentioned on the Croatian side in development plans, specifically in the Ten-Year Development Plan of the Gas Transmission Network of the Republic of Croatia. - BH Gas announced, NAP reports.

- In Moscow, the resolution of the war debt for gas was requested, which BH-Gas has already announced will be the subject of the meeting. As is known, Republika Srpska does not pay these obligations, and we now warn that the eventual supply of the Brod Refinery with gas would be realized on the same principle.
BH-Gas publicly emphasizes that a scenario is being prepared by Republika Srpska to leave the entire war debt for repayment to the Federation of BiH, while simultaneously preventing the construction of the South European Gas Ring, which would pass through the territory of BiH. This thesis is fully confirmed when looking at the proposed state gas law, which envisages lowering state competencies to the entity level. The city of Sarajevo is at the end of the gas system and depends on the gas input in Zvornik, and the full competence of the Republika Srpska entity over this input will certainly result in blackmail. The 'agreed position' in Moscow is the prevention of the development of the gas market in the most profitable gas supply route, which is the Brod-Zenica gas pipeline.
BH-Gas will inform the Government of the Federation of BiH and the Council of Ministers of BiH in detail about all of the above, with a presentation of all implications that the realization of the above may entail for the natural gas market in the Federation of BiH and BiH - conclude BH-Gas, NAP reports.