President: Bulgaria – Serbia Gas Interconnection Offers Region New Opportunities for Diversification and Security of Supplies

Jerusalem, 1 February, 2023 (TPS) -- KOSTINBROD, WESTERN BULGARIA, 01.02.2023 (BTA)
The construction of the Bulgaria – Serbia gas interconnector is a project of strategic significance which offers the region new opportunities for diversification and security of supplies, President Rumen Radev said here Wednesday. Together with President Alexandar Vucic of Serbia, he attended the start of construction on the Bulgarian side of the Bulgaria-Serbia gas interconnector.

Radev also said that it is “yet another step in deepening relations with neighboring Serbia and the advancement of the entire region”.

In the President’s words, the interconnector is a token of the two countries’ wish to build together a vision of their shared European future based on solidarity, mutual trust and support, innovative approaches and new technologies.

“This project is an example of how our sustainable cooperation with the European Commission leads to shared benefits – and not only for our two countries. It offers new opportunities for the region through real diversification and secure deliveries. It is an example of successful implementation of the European strategy for accessible energy,” Radev said.

In his words, Serbia’s success to maintain and build new connections with the neighbouring countries, has become a success for Bulgaria, thanks to the interconnector, because it gains broader access to the European markets.

The President said further that Bulgaria has proven to be a reliable transiting country. “Even in the gravest of circumstances, when we had Russian gas supplies cut off, all of them and suddenly, we continued to transit gas to Serbia.”

He also recalled that Bulgaria proposed to the European Commission that aid be made available for stabilizing the energy systems of the Western Balkans.

He said that gas interconnectors in the region are more than infrastructure projects: “they open up opportunities, they are a symbol of the potential of the region for future development”. “They mean security, cooperation, diversification, the road and the key to a peaceful, democratic and prosperous environment in this region.”

The Bulgaria-Serbia Gas Interconnection will be 170 km long from Novi Iskur (Bulgaria) to Nis (Serbia), of which 62 km will be on Bulgarian territory. The gas interconnection will have a capacity of up to 1.8 bmc per year and will allow a reverse flow. The gas interconnection is a project of common interest for the European Union and is funded under the Connecting Europe Facility.

The IBS is expected to be completed by the start of the next heating season.