Energy Ministry: Situation stable

The Energy Ministry says that the gas imports from Hungary and Germany together with domestic output are sufficient for the time being. Energy Ministry State Secretary Dusan Mrakic said that some 4.6 million cubic meters of gas had arrived today from these sources, and that Serbia would continue to use these sources as they were the only ones currently at its disposal. Energy Ministry: Situation stable He said that there would be enough gas today for industry and for the Belgrade thermo power plants, adding that the government’s Crisis HQ was taking measures in accordance with the new situation aimed at “lightening the strain on the Serbian electricity system caused by increased usage.” “We are trying to get gas from other countries as well, but we do not have any guarantees yet,” he said, adding that the deal for gas coming from Austria was valid up to January 16 if Serbia needed it. Mrakic said that Ukraine was not allowing gas to reach Europe today, adding that Russia had cut off gas supplies to Romania, Bulgaria, Turkey, Greece, Macedonia and other European countries. Hopes that the supply of Russian gas to Serbia would be restored tomorrow wer thrown into doubt after Ukraine's decision to shut down transit pipelines. After gas had started coming to the EU from Russia again, Srbijagas Director Dusan Bajatovic said this morning that he expected Russian gas to start arriving in Serbia on Wednesday. Bajatovic hoped that Serbia would have Russian gas by early on Wednesday afternoon and that the heating situation for consumers would return to normal by the end of the day. “We will need about 24 hours for full implementation of our system. Since our requests didn’t arrive today—because we have to ask for that gas, you see—we expect to be sending in the first requests for Russian gas by tomorrow morning. It should arrive during the day, and we will normalize the technical aspects of the system and effectively will have normal gas supplies by Thursday morning,” he said. At least 24 hours are needed for all industrial consumers to be supplied with gas, Bajatovic said, immediately after which, gas will be sent to those thermo power plants currently working on crude heating oil. He said that only a few hours would be needed to switch back to gas. “What is important is that we can receive the gas, to check the installations, to make sure there are no problems in order to avoid complications. It will take about 48 hours from the moment gas arrives at our borders for everything to normalize,” the Srbijagas CEO said. Dusan Bajatovic (FoNet, archive) Srbijagas: USD 2.5mn daily for emergency supplies Srbijagas CEO Dusan Bajatovic says that Serbia is paying around USD 500 per 1,000 cubic meters of gas coming from Germany and Hungary. Speaking to daily Blic, Bajatovic said that Serbia was paying around USD 2.5mn for the five million cu m of gas that it was receiving each day from Hungary and Germany, around USD 250,000 more than it would be paying in normal circumstances for gas coming from Russia or drawing from its own reserves. He said that ad hoc shipments of gas such as the ones from Germany and Hungary were always more expensive, but were “entirely reasonable“ given stock market prices. “We’re now paying around USD 500 for 1000 cu m, while the gas we buy from Russia is around USD 450. All the same, given the situation, I think that this price can be considered reasonable,“ said Bajatovic. “If Serbia had its own gas reservoir to fall back on, it could get through this crisis a lot easier,“ the Srbijagas CEO said. Bajatovic told daily Vecernje Novosti earlier that once the gas crisis was over, all contracts and invoices from the emergency deliveries would be made public. He said that the government would ultimately decide on whether to launch legal proceedings against those responsible for the non-delivery of gas, adding that it was not merely a question of economic, but political, aspects too. According to the Srbijagas CEO, there had been problems with gas deliveries from Germany following a breakdown at a compressor station in Austria, while the two million cu m from Hungary had arrived unhindered. Bajatovic said that what mattered most was for Russian gas to start arriving at full capacity once again, and that this would take some 12 to 24 hours. He added that it would take two to three days for complete deliveries to start reaching every individual consumer and thermo plant.

Energy Ministry: Situation stable

He said that there would be enough gas today for industry and for the Belgrade thermo power plants, adding that the government’s Crisis HQ was taking measures in accordance with the new situation aimed at “lightening the strain on the Serbian electricity system caused by increased usage.”

“We are trying to get gas from other countries as well, but we do not have any guarantees yet,” he said, adding that the deal for gas coming from Austria was valid up to January 16 if Serbia needed it.

Mrakić said that Ukraine was not allowing gas to reach Europe today, adding that Russia had cut off gas supplies to Romania, Bulgaria, Turkey, Greece, Macedonia and other European countries.

Hopes that the supply of Russian gas to Serbia would be restored tomorrow wer thrown into doubt after Ukraine's decision to shut down transit pipelines.

After gas had started coming to the EU from Russia again, Srbijagas Director Dušan Bajatović said this morning that he expected Russian gas to start arriving in Serbia on Wednesday.

Bajatović hoped that Serbia would have Russian gas by early on Wednesday afternoon and that the heating situation for consumers would return to normal by the end of the day.

“We will need about 24 hours for full implementation of our system. Since our requests didn’t arrive today—because we have to ask for that gas, you see—we expect to be sending in the first requests for Russian gas by tomorrow morning. It should arrive during the day, and we will normalize the technical aspects of the system and effectively will have normal gas supplies by Thursday morning,” he said.

At least 24 hours are needed for all industrial consumers to be supplied with gas, Bajatović said, immediately after which, gas will be sent to those thermo power plants currently working on crude heating oil.

He said that only a few hours would be needed to switch back to gas.

“What is important is that we can receive the gas, to check the installations, to make sure there are no problems in order to avoid complications. It will take about 48 hours from the moment gas arrives at our borders for everything to normalize,” the Srbijagas CEO said.

Srbijagas: USD 2.5mn daily for emergency supplies

Srbijagas CEO Dušan Bajatović says that Serbia is paying around USD 500 per 1,000 cubic meters of gas coming from Germany and Hungary.

Speaking to daily Blic, Bajatović said that Serbia was paying around USD 2.5mn for the five million cu m of gas that it was receiving each day from Hungary and Germany, around USD 250,000 more than it would be paying in normal circumstances for gas coming from Russia or drawing from its own reserves.

He said that ad hoc shipments of gas such as the ones from Germany and Hungary were always more expensive, but were “entirely reasonable“ given stock market prices.

“We’re now paying around USD 500 for 1000 cu m, while the gas we buy from Russia is around USD 450. All the same, given the situation, I think that this price can be considered reasonable,“ said Bajatović.

“If Serbia had its own gas reservoir to fall back on, it could get through this crisis a lot easier,“ the Srbijagas CEO said.

Bajatović told daily Večernje Novosti earlier that once the gas crisis was over, all contracts and invoices from the emergency deliveries would be made public.

He said that the government would ultimately decide on whether to launch legal proceedings against those responsible for the non-delivery of gas, adding that it was not merely a question of economic, but political, aspects too.

According to the Srbijagas CEO, there had been problems with gas deliveries from Germany following a breakdown at a compressor station in Austria, while the two million cu m from Hungary had arrived unhindered.

Bajatović said that what mattered most was for Russian gas to start arriving at full capacity once again, and that this would take some 12 to 24 hours.

He added that it would take two to three days for complete deliveries to start reaching every individual consumer and thermo plant.