At the time of the global gas crisis, when 1,000 cubic meters of gas were sold on the stock exchanges for an incredible 2,000 dollars, Serbia is paying 270 dollars for blue fuel thanks to a long-term still current contract with the Russian gas giant Gazprom.
And while last week all eyes were on the President of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin, since the new offer for the price of gas depended on, almost everyone was dumbfounded by the fact that everything remains the same for Serbia. So, the same price as before the crisis and the drastic rise in prices. And that with a larger amount of gas that will arrive in our country, as the first man of Serbia, Aleksandar Vučić, announced.
This news also surprised Dr. Janez Kopac, director of the Secretariat of the Energy Community, who admits that probably no buyer of gas from Russia has a better price at the moment because this is far below the market price for Serbia.
How do you comment on the price of 270 dollars per 1,000 cubic meters that has been extended for the next six months?
The price of 270 dollars is incredibly favorable in the current conditions.
Is gas cheaper for someone at the moment?
Probably no gas buyer from Russia at this moment has a better price that is far below the market price. This shows that gas from Russia is not only an economic but also a political treasure, with all that it brings with it: Because, there is no free lunch, as they say in business. Mr. Aleksandar Vučić made an extremely good move for Serbian gas consumers and for his reputation. Certainly, Serbia is protected from the “current storm of the world energy crisis” at such a price.
Did you expect something like this and will we pay a higher price after April and what will it depend on?
I expect that currently incredibly high gas prices on the market will fall by April, but it is impossible to predict at what level and what that means for the future agreement for Serbia after April.
Do you still think that a third party should be given the right to sell some gas other than Russian through the “Turkish (Balkan) Stream” gas pipeline? And how much would that cost us, because Russian, as you say, is probably the cheapest for us now?
I still think that the access of a third party to the “Turkish Stream” would be favorable for Serbia. At this moment, certainly none of them has cheaper gas, but the gas business is a long-distance race, and it turned out that “Gazprom” functions differently in conditions of competition.
What is your position on the construction of a nuclear power plant in Serbia?
Building a classic nuclear power plant is a complex operation. It lasts for many years, it is very expensive and engineering knowledge is needed for something like that, which existed in Yugoslavia, but has not been in our area for a long time.
What do you suggest as an alternative?
It may be more realistic to think about small modular reactors, but that technology is not yet fully developed, neither in Russia, nor in other countries that are developing it.
Today, your position at the head of the EC is ending. There is a possibility that you will be succeeded by a representative from Poland, which is not good news for Serbia, at least when it comes to Russian gas. Are you retiring from this place or will you continue to work?
My third term at the helm of the Energy Community ends on November 30th. I’m not retiring, because I’m still young for something like that, but for now I don’t know exactly where I will be engaged. According to the Treaty establishing the Energy Community, only the European Commission has the right to select a candidate for director. Ministers from the member states are voting on the proposal, Politika reports.
