Serbia clarifies Hungary gas storage plan

Serbia will store 500mn m³ of gas in Hungary for the coming winter, which will "guarantee supply" in the coming heating season, Serbian finance minister Sinisa Mali confirmed today.

Serbia will be able to withdraw 3mn m³/d in October, 6mn m³/d in November-February, and 3mn m³/d again in March, Mali said. "In this way, we will have fully secured gas supply for the upcoming season," he said.

Serbia will start filling its storage by the end of June, and will have the option of purchasing gas either from Hungary or third parties, which will be decided on "in the coming days", the minister said.

Serbian president Aleksander Vucic said on 23 May that he had reached an agreement with his Hungarian counterpart Viktor Orban to store 300mn-500mn m³ of gas in Hungary, and that the agreement only needed to be formalised. The arrangement is necessary because Serbia can only withdraw 5mn m³/d from its Banatski Dvor facility, which is insufficient in winter months, when Serbia consumes around 15mn m³/d, Vucic said.

Vucic will speak with Russian president Vladimir Putin this week about a new gas supply contract. Serbia's existing 2bn m³/yr contract with Gazprom at a price of $270/'000m³ expires on 31 May.

By Brendan A'Hearn