Vojislav Vuletić, the President of the Gas Association of Serbia, stated today that the 426 million cubic meters of gas in Serbia’s reserves are sufficient to cover the excess consumption during this winter season.
In a statement to Tanjug, Vuletić commented on the decision of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev to continue gas deliveries to Serbia, explaining that Serbia had previously signed a memorandum with Azerbaijan to use their gas for a future gas-fired thermal power plant in Niš, with a capacity of 1,000 megawatts. He emphasized that these are significant quantities of gas, which are important for Azerbaijan as well.
President Aleksandar Vučić confirmed that Serbia had discussed the matter with Azerbaijan and that President Aliyev had decided to ensure uninterrupted gas supplies to Serbia. Vučić had previously announced that Serbia had received notice from Azerbaijan stating that, due to issues on their end, they would not be able to provide Serbia with 1.7 million cubic meters of gas every day in the coming period.
When asked about a potential long-term gas agreement with Russia, Vuletić suggested that it would be ideal for Serbia to secure a 15-year contract, similar to the agreement Hungary reached. “Negotiations will begin in March. We are good consumers, and they are reliable suppliers, with whom we always negotiate favorable prices. Therefore, there is no need for contracts every two or three years, as we have done in the past. A 15-year agreement, like Hungary’s, would be very beneficial for us,” Vuletić said, according to Tanjug.