February 25 (SeeNews) - Serbia's energy agency AERS has certified Serbia-based Gastrans, majority-owned by Russia's Gazprom, as an independent natural gas transmission operator, it said.
Gastrans is obliged to submit certificates of occupancy or evidence confirming that it operates and manages the constructed transmission system independently six months since the beginning of operational work at the latest, AERS said in a statement on Monday.
Gastrans is in charge of the construction and operation of a 400 km string of the TurkStream pipeline for the transit of natural gas to Europe from Turkey on Serbian territory.
The company is 100%-owned by Swiss-based South Stream Serbia, according to data from Serbia's commercial register. Russia's Gazprom owns a 51% stake in South Stream Serbia, while state-owned Srbijagas holds the remaining 49%, according to Gazprom data.