BAKU, Azerbaijan, April 24. Serbia is
discussing with Azerbaijan the possibility of flexible gas supply
of up to 0.9 billion cubic meters per year, with a potential
increase to up to 1.4 billion cubic meters annually after the
completion of the gas-fired power plant in Niš in 2030, Minister of
Mining and Energy of the Republic of Serbia, Dubravka Djedovic
Handanovic said in an exclusive interview with Trend, as she has
recently visited Baku.
“During our visit to Baku, we held high-level meetings with the
ministers of finance, economy, and energy of Azerbaijan, as well as
with representatives of Azerbaijan’s state oil company SOCAR. This
visit represents a continuation of strengthening friendly relations
and the strategic partnership between our two countries. During the
meetings, we discussed the long-standing successful cooperation in
gas supply, with a particular focus on the project to build a
gas-fired power plant in Serbia, which President Ilham Aliyev
described during the first session of the Strategic Partnership
Council, held in Belgrade on February 15, as one of the major
Azerbaijani investments in Europe in recent years.
As President Aleksandar Vučić pointed out, that session marked a
turning point in relations between the two countries and reflected
our shared commitment to elevating cooperation to an even higher
level. At that time, we agreed to continue intensive communication
and dedicated work on the gas power plant project, which is one of
Serbia’s priority projects. Its construction will enhance the
country’s energy security, especially in light of growing
electricity consumption, increased use of artificial intelligence,
and the development of data centers,” she said.
Handanovic pointed out that Serbia is currently undergoing an
energy transition process, where, alongside integrating new
renewable energy capacities, it is necessary to strengthen
base-load capacities.
“Therefore, we have recognized gas-fired power plants as an
important component in our key strategic documents. We are aware
that Azerbaijan generates a significant share of its electricity
from gas-fired power plants, and we have recognized its experience
as valuable for cooperation on the project in Serbia, particularly
with SOCAR, which will participate in this project not only as a
gas supplier but also as a strategic partner in developing the
generation capacity,” noted the minister.
She went on to add that the Republic of Serbia, through the
construction and commissioning of the gas interconnector with
Bulgaria, has become part of the Southern Gas Corridor by
connecting to the TAP and TANAP gas pipelines.
“This has, for the first time, enabled us to diversify our gas
supply sources. For the past three years, we have been reliably
supplied with gas from Azerbaijan, and we regularly participate in
ministerial meetings of the Southern Gas Corridor Advisory Council
in Baku, as well as in other formats of energy cooperation in the
country. Gas deliveries have doubled since the beginning of our
cooperation, reaching approximately 2 million cubic meters per day
last year. In discussions with representatives of SOCAR, we are
considering the possibility of flexible gas supply of up to 0.9
billion cubic meters per year, with a potential increase to up to
1.4 billion cubic meters annually after the completion of the
gas-fired power plant in Niš in 2030. We expect that the operation
of the gas-fired power plant will require securing around 600
million cubic meters of gas annually from Azerbaijan, which is why
we see SOCAR as a long-term partner in ensuring Serbia’s energy
security,” added Handanovic.
The Serbian minister noted that her country sees Azerbaijan’s
state oil company SOCAR as a reliable gas supplier and a partner in
the construction and operation of the gas-fired power plant that
will be built in Serbia in cooperation with Srbijagas and EPS.
“There is also potential for the exchange of experience in the
field of energy transition, in line with the intentions of both
countries and their energy companies to develop new renewable
energy capacities,” she said.
Handanovic recalled that at the first session of the Strategic
Partnership Council in Belgrade, the sides signed an Agreement on
the development, design, construction, and operation of a
combined-cycle gas-fired power plant in the Republic of Serbia.
“A joint working group has also been established and has begun
work on the project’s development. In the coming month, we plan to
harmonize and formalize the key provisions and commercial terms for
the construction of the gas-fired power plant, as well as the
design and construction timelines,” the Serbian minister added.
Further, Handanovic noted that Serbia is developing ambitious
investments in its electricity transmission infrastructure worth
more than one billion euros, given its central position in the
Balkans and its potential to play a key role in ensuring security
of supply for the wider Southeast European region.
“The Trans-Balkan Corridor is currently under construction,
which will connect Serbia with Romania, Bosnia and Herzegovina,
Montenegro, and Italy, while plans are also underway to build the
Pannonian Corridor, which will double transmission capacity with
Hungary. Once the planned investments are completed, cross-border
electricity exchange capacity will be increased from 4,000 to 6,000
MW. One of the possibilities we discussed with the Azerbaijani
delegation is Serbia’s participation in the Green Energy Corridor
project between the Caspian region and Southeast Europe, especially
since Serbia borders countries that are already part of the
project. Congestion in transmission networks, which has been
increasingly occurring across Europe in recent years, serves as a
reminder that greater investment in interconnections and
strengthening transmission capacities is necessary in order to
ensure system stability, particularly in the context of integrating
new renewable energy capacities,” she concluded.
