Ministry pledges to secure necessary gas supply

Energy Minister Petar Skundric says his ministry will do all to ensure the minimum necessary supply of gas should the crisis continue beyond January 24. Serbia is currently receiving gas from Hungary and Germany. Skundric told a press conference that he expected the Russo-Ukrainian dispute to be resolved by January 24. Ministry pledges to secure necessary gas supply "If it hasn't been resolved by then, we'll do all we can with the means at our disposal to secure the minimum amount of gas needed for Serbia, and we'll use, as we have up to now, crude heating oil and other potentials," he said. Earlier, Srbijagas CEO Dusan Bajatovic said that Serbia had extended its gas supply agreements with Hungary and Germany until January 24. Provided there are no unforeseen circumstances, Bajatovic said, Serbia would receive sufficient gas from these countries over the next eight days to supply thermo plants and individual consumers. “That means that homes and remote heating systems than can’t switch to heating oil will be safe, at least until that date, if everything works out OK,” he told B92. “And what’s very interesting is that we’ve finally got things moving over the additional ‘one plus one’ million cubic meters from Germany and Hungary. So, two million to get our industry up and running, which is currently crying out for that volume of gas, so that we can least take the sting out of this business,” the Srbijagas CEO said State Secretary in the Energy Ministry Dusan Mrakic said that starting from today or tomorrow, two million cubic meters of gas could start arriving from Germany and Hungary for industrial consumers. That would enable priority industrial consumers in Serbia to start using gas, he explained. He said that a Serbian delegation was also due to travel to Moscow to the summit of the heads of European states and governments, whose countries either buy or transit Russian gas. However, Mrakic said that it was unlikely that the gas dispute between Russia and Ukraine would be resolved at that summit, and that it would take a few more days. The summit was proposed by Russian President Dmitry Medvedev. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Mirko Cvetkovic said that a meeting would be held on Monday to find a way of helping Srbijagas, which had suffered major losses following the suspension of Russian gas deliveries. He added that a meeting of the National Council for Infrastructure would be held next week dedicated to the Banatski Dvor storage facility, whose completion requires a further EUR 20 to 25mn. Dusan Bajatovic (Beta, archive)

Ministry pledges to secure necessary gas supply

"If it hasn't been resolved by then, we'll do all we can with the means at our disposal to secure the minimum amount of gas needed for Serbia, and we'll use, as we have up to now, crude heating oil and other potentials," he said.

Earlier, Srbijagas CEO Dušan Bajatović said that Serbia had extended its gas supply agreements with Hungary and Germany until January 24.

Provided there are no unforeseen circumstances, Bajatović said, Serbia would receive sufficient gas from these countries over the next eight days to supply thermo plants and individual consumers.

“That means that homes and remote heating systems than can’t switch to heating oil will be safe, at least until that date, if everything works out OK,” he told B92.

“And what’s very interesting is that we’ve finally got things moving over the additional ‘one plus one’ million cubic meters from Germany and Hungary. So, two million to get our industry up and running, which is currently crying out for that volume of gas, so that we can least take the sting out of this business,” the Srbijagas CEO said

State Secretary in the Energy Ministry Dušan Mrakić said that starting from today or tomorrow, two million cubic meters of gas could start arriving from Germany and Hungary for industrial consumers.

That would enable priority industrial consumers in Serbia to start using gas, he explained.

He said that a Serbian delegation was also due to travel to Moscow to the summit of the heads of European states and governments, whose countries either buy or transit Russian gas.

However, Mrakić said that it was unlikely that the gas dispute between Russia and Ukraine would be resolved at that summit, and that it would take a few more days.

The summit was proposed by Russian President Dmitry Medvedev.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Mirko Cvetković said that a meeting would be held on Monday to find a way of helping Srbijagas, which had suffered major losses following the suspension of Russian gas deliveries.

He added that a meeting of the National Council for Infrastructure would be held next week dedicated to the Banatski Dvor storage facility, whose completion requires a further EUR 20 to 25mn.