Dušan Bajatović, the General Director of Srbijagas, reassured the public that Serbia has secured enough gas to prevent any supply disruptions or crises. He emphasized that the country is prepared for unforeseen scenarios, and citizens need not worry about the gas supply. Additionally, the price for connecting to the gas network will remain unchanged at 770 euros, and the number of gas connections is increasing.
Bajatović also highlighted that Europe’s energy security remains heavily reliant on gas, not only for heating but also for operating gas power plants, which account for at least a fifth of electricity consumption.
Responding to recent comments from Bulgaria’s Energy Minister Vladimir Malinov, who raised the possibility of Bulgaria halting Russian gas transit to Serbia, Bajatović explained that this was not the first such warning. Malinov’s statement follows U.S. sanctions on the Russian state-owned Gazprombank in November, which had previously required gas buyers to pay for their transactions. However, Russian President Vladimir Putin lifted that condition on December 6.
Bajatović explained that Bulgaria will not impose sanctions on Russian gas transit for two main reasons: the gas transits through the Turkish Stream to Serbia, Hungary and Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Bulgaria relies heavily on the revenue from this gas transit. He also pointed out that European officials are seeking ways to halt gas transport in line with U.S. interests.
“The Americans want to remove Russia from the European gas market and replace it with their own gas, regardless of the higher costs,” Bajatović said. “This has geopolitical motives, and the price increase does not matter to them.”
In addition to this, Bajatović praised Serbia’s decision to maintain its ban on the construction of nuclear power plants. He noted the increasing energy consumption in Germany and highlighted Serbia’s plan to build two new gas power plants, one fueled by Russian gas in Novi Sad and another by Azerbaijani gas, likely in Niš.
He also confirmed ongoing efforts to expand the gas storage facility in Banatski Dvor and secure additional gas supplies from Azerbaijan, aiming to increase the storage capacity to 850 million cubic meters of commercial gas through new investments.
