Serbian deputy prime minister Zorana
Mihajlovic said on Monday that the country will
have to delay the launch of the construction of
the South Stream gas pipeline on its territory
until its eastern neighbour Bulgaria gets
clearance to proceed with the project, local media
reported.
During the weekend Bulgarian prime minister Plamen
Oresharski said the government in Sofia is
suspending works on the pipeline after the
European Commission launched an infringement
procedure against the country in connection with
the project's implementation.
Bulgaria lies on the pipeline's main route and
until its government reaches an agreement with
Brussels and until the European Union resolves its
problems with Russia, Serbia will have to delay
the launch of the pipeline's construction,
Mihajlovic said, as quoted by daily Blic.
Another option is for Russia to change the route
of the South Stream pipeline, she added.
The planned South Stream gas pipeline will carry
gas from Russia to central and southern Europe via
Bulgaria, Serbia, Hungary and Slovenia, reaching
its full capacity of some 63 billion cubic metres
per year by 2017. The total value of the
Gazprom-spearheaded project is estimated at some
16 billion euro ($21.84 billion).
State-owned gas monopoly Srbijagas, which manages
the construction of the South Stream section in
Serbia, is set to sign in June a deal with a
general contractor, which should build the Serbian
section of the pipeline.
"Activities on this project will not be put to a
hold unless the government in Belgrade decides
otherwise," Blic quoted an unnamed Srbijagas
official as saying.
Source: SeeNews