Serbian media reported on Tuesday that the first part of the 403-kilometer section of Gazprom’s TurkStream gas pipeline in the country territory has been completed. The section stretches from the Bulgarian border to the city of Cuprija, according to Serbian newspaper Blic.
Currently, construction works are underway at the second part from Cuprija to the Danube River in Serbia’s north. Overall, the plan is to construct four sections, with the whole pipeline through the country’s territory planned to be completed by the end of the year.
Serbia had launched the construction at its section of the gas pipeline before the Bulgarian part was completed. On March 5, the country’s Energy Agency approved the construction of the Serbian section, the works were scheduled to begin in April.
The project to construct a pipeline in Serbia running from the Bulgarian border to the border with Hungary is being implemented by Gastrans, a joint venture of Russia’s gas producer Gazprom and Srbijagas. According to plans, the Serbian section of TurkStream will begin supplying natural gas before the end of April 2020.
The Serbian sector of TurkStream is intended to originate near the town of Zajecar near the Bulgarian border and cross the border with Hungary near the town of Horgos. Input capacity of the pipeline is expected to be around 13.88 million cubic meters of gas per day, while its output capacity may total around 10 million cubic meters.
The TurkStream project envisages the construction of a gas pipeline across the Black Sea to the European part of Turkey and farther to the border with Greece. Gas deliveries via the first stretch of the gas pipeline are meant to meet the requirements of the growing Turkish market, while the second stretch is planned to deliver gas to the countries of Southern and South-Eastern Europe. Gazprom considers Greece, Italy, Bulgaria, Serbia, and Hungary as potential markets.
