Turkish stream is essential for energy security and will enable cheaper transit to Serbia, and on the other hand we are becoming a transit country, although the South Stream project has failed, but it is good that we are in the direction of supplying European countries, said Balkan magazine editor Jelica Putnikovic.
The Turkish Stream gas pipeline is a project of Russian Gasprom and Turkish Botash that should provide a stable gas supply to Turkey, southern and southeastern Europe. It was officially put into operation on January 9th, and the branch that is supposed to deliver gas to Bulgaria through Serbia has not been completed yet.
Putnikovic explained that the price of gas is determined by the Energy Agency according to the rules established in the energy community, and the price is the one that is marketable under these conditions. The price also depends on the purchase price, which depends on the crude oil on the market, so if there is no major price escalation due to Iran’s problems, it will remain so, she added.
“But when it comes to transit costs, Srbijagas used to have unfavorable conditions and high transit fees, but now we have a much shorter route from Turkey to Serbia than if it goes from Ukraine to us. And on the other hand, we will have revenue from charging fees who will go through Serbia”, she explained.
Talking about the South Stream project that has not been realized, it is said that Bulgarians are “losers” and have repented that they have relented under the pressure of lobbyists. And instead of celebrating becoming a gas hub for this part of Europe, they are now lost.
Commenting on the construction of the pipeline through Serbia, Putnikovic said that it was very good that we started on time to build that pipeline because investors were looking for that part of the infrastructure. Asked about gasification, she said Serbia’s gasification had stalled, and as one of the possible reasons, she cited sanctions in the 1990s, writes N1.
Vojvodina is the most gasified, she says, and now officials are announcing that larger cities in Serbia will be gasified, not only to urban areas but to the cities themselves.
As she stated, gasification is “normal in the west”, it is important for the economy to have gas, as well as for households where there are no heating plants, for heating on non-polluting energy.
“It is good for improving life and economic development”, she concluded.
