Serbia plans new gas interconnector to tap into Azerbaijani energy, official says

Serbia is advancing plans to construct a new interconnector to facilitate greater imports of Azerbaijani natural gas, a move aimed at enhancing energy security and diversifying supply routes away from traditional sources, particularly Russian gas.

The announcement was made by Sasa Koković, Acting Assistant to the Minister for Oil and Gas at Serbia’s Ministry of Mining and Energy, during the 30th Baku Energy Forum, Caliber.Az reports via local media.

"Now we have the opportunity to receive Azerbaijani natural gas and transmit it further—to Hungary. However, for this, it is necessary to modernize the internal gas transportation system, the construction of which began in the 1960s," Koković stated. "Azerbaijan has become a new strategic partner for us and part of a new system that will allow us to diversify supplies after Russian gas—precisely due to the connection point to the interconnector."

According to Koković, diversifying both energy sources and supply routes via cross-border interconnectors is a strategic priority for Serbia. The initiative is expected to be realized within the next three years, in alignment with regional and European energy integration goals.

“We are considering connecting to the gas transportation system of Romania in the north and North Macedonia in the south,” Koković added. “With the support of the European Union and thanks to the construction of the interconnector with North Macedonia, we will gain access to the Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP), and therefore to the Southern Gas Corridor.”

Serbia is also exploring access to the LNG terminal in Greece as part of its broader strategy to increase supply flexibility and security.

Koković underscored the importance of the planned infrastructure in enhancing national energy resilience. “We are optimistic that, moving forward, we will be able to identify optimal solutions in collaboration with the State Oil Company of Azerbaijan (SOCAR), both in terms of aligning consumption volumes and maximizing throughput capacity," he stated.

He concluded by highlighting the potential of a new interconnector at Kalotina, on the Bulgarian border, as a critical route for securing additional volumes of Azerbaijani natural gas.

By Vafa Guliyeva