SARAJEVO (Bosnia and Herzegovina), March 15 (SeeNews) – Serbia is interested in helping Bosnia's Serb Republic expand its gas network, the Serb Republic energy ministry said.
Over the next few years, the Serb Republic, with Serbia's support, plans to expand its gas network and increase gas supplies coming through Serbia, the Bosnian entity's energy ministry said in a press release on Wednesday, following a meeting between the energy ministers of Serbia and the Serb Republic and the directors of state-owned gas companies Srbijagas and Gas promet Republike Srpske.
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The Serb Republic is currently drawing 70 million cubic meters of gas per year from Serbia, the statement reads.
"According to joint estimates, it will be necessary to increase the capacity for gas deliveries from Serbia to 600 million cubic meters annually in the coming period, with the option to increase the volume to 800 million cubic meters," Serbia's energy minister, Aleksandar Antic, is quoted as saying in the press release.
Antic added that the gas projects Serbia is involved in will also benefit the Serb Republic. These include the gas interconnection with Bulgaria, the expansion of the gas storage facility Banatski Dvor and the construction of a new gas transportation system from the border with Bulgaria towards the border with Hungary, which will ensure the transit of larger amounts of gas through Serbia.
"All of these projects mean additional energy security for both Serbia and the Serb Republic, and of course Bosnia and Herzegovina, and will enable the full development of the gas market and a significant increase in gas consumption in the Serb Republic," Antic explained.
At the meeting the two sides agreed to soon review an agreement between gas companies Srbijagas and Gas promet Republike Srpske, which will regulate the issue of Srbijagas' assets on the territory of the entity.
Serbia is also mulling the joint construction of hydro power plants on the river Drina, the ministry said.
The Serb Republic is one of two entities in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the other is the Federation.