November 9 (SeeNews) - Serbia's energy minister Aleksandar Antic said on Thursday the government is holding talks with the Power Construction Corporation of China (Powerchina) on the technical details of a project for construction of a 28 km-long heat pipeline.
Powerchina shows serious interest in the project and the Serbian government plans to continue its cooperation with the company, Antic said in a video file posted on the website of news agency Tanjug.
"The project has a major importance for Serbia's entire energy system," Antic said after a meeting with representatives of Powerchina in Bucharest on the sidelines of the first edition of the Energy Ministers Meeting under the 16+1 initiative aimed at intensifying and expanding China's cooperation with countries in central and southeastern Europe.
In June, the Belgrade city government announced it has signed a memorandum of understanding with Powerchina to build a heat pipeline that will connect Termoelektrane Nikola Tesla (TENT) power plant and Novi Beograd thermal power plant - a project with an estimated cost of 200 million euro ($232.1 million).
Once completed, the project will allow the city to cut the cost of providing heating energy by 43 million euro a year, i.e. the investment will be repaid in five or six years, Belgrade mayor Sinisa Mali said back then.
($ = 0.861466 euro)