(MENAFN- Trend News Agency) BAKU, Azerbaijan, Feb.4. The cooperation
between Serbia and Azerbaijan is becoming increasingly important
strategy-wise, primarily owing to the excellent personal relations
between President Ilham Aliyev and President Aleksandar Vucic,
Minister of energy of the Republic of Serbia, Dubravka Djedovic
said in an exclusive interview with trend .
“A further, important demonstration of such relations is
particularly the progress of energy cooperation,” the minister
added.
Djedovic went on to add that in addition to holding intensive
talks on cooperation in the gas sector, Serbia has also expressed
interest in securing additional amounts of electricity from
Azerbaijan, whereby the costs of power transmission are analysed in
order to reach a solution that is cost- efficient, in addition to
being important in terms of energy.
“The plans to import electricity of the Serbia's neighbouring
countries, such as Hungary and Romania, also represent an
additional boost to our plans to develop the transmission network
and regional connectivity in the energy sector,” she said.
Dubravka Djedovic noted that Serbia and Azerbaijan will continue
discussions on gas supplies, Minister of Energy of the Republic of
Serbia.
“I expect that during the visit to Baku, in addition to the
topics that will be discussed at the Ministerial Meeting of the
Southern Gas Corridor Advisory Council, we will continue
discussions on the volumes of gas that can be supplied from
Azerbaijan to Serbia once the construction of the Serbia-Bulgaria
Gas Interconnector has been completed, but also on other topics
that we raised during the visit of the President of Serbia to
Azerbaijan at the end of last year, such as the possibility of
building gas power plants,” she said.
Serbia will cover one third of demand with Azerbaijani gas,
Minister of Energy of the Republic of Serbia, Dubravka Djedovic
said.
“Serbia is making intensive efforts to diversify the sources of
natural gas supply, which is a condition for ensuring our energy
security, independence and getting the opportunity to obtain larger
volumes of gas. Following the completion of the construction of
Serbia-Bulgaria Gas Interconnector, it will be possible to meet
about one third of Serbia's gas needs with gas supplied from
Azerbaijan, which will become one of our key energy partners,” she
added.
Djedovic noted that the works on the Serbia-Bulgaria Gas
Interconnector began in February 2022, and completion of these
works is planned for the end of this year.
“By this interconnection, with a capacity of 1.8 billion cubic
meters of gas, Serbia will be connected to gas sources that are
reaching Greece, including from the gas fields in the Caspian
region and the LNG terminal in Alexandropoulos,” the minister
explained.
Djedovic pointed out that Serbia may become a transit country
for Azerbaijani gas.
She noted that Azerbaijani gas has already been recognized as a
part of the solution for diversifying the sources of gas supply in
Europe, but this also applies to Serbia and our entire region.
“Diversification of suppliers is important primarily for
achieving the greater energy security for Serbia, however the
construction of gas interconnectors towards other neighbouring
countries opens up the opportunities for Serbia to become a transit
country for Azerbaijani gas to reach other countries in the region
and the EU,” added Djedovic.
Dubravka Djedovic went on to add that Serbia expects to discuss
potential renewable energy projects with Azerbaijan.
“Increasing the share of renewable energy sources (RES) in the
energy mix is a reality for all countries which are undergoing the
process of energy transition. At the same time, this opens up
opportunities for further expansion of cooperation between Serbia
and Azerbaijan, which is, however, already at a high level in the
energy sector,” she said.
Dubravka Djedovic noted that Serbia is currently working on the
preparation of strategic documents which are to identify its
targets regarding the share of RES in the energy mix and the
reduction of harmful gas emissions in the coming decades.
“We are also working intensively on the improvement of
legislation in order to enable an increase in the electricity
generation capacities from renewable energy sources, as well as
their sustainable integration into the power system. Auctions are
planned for around 400 megawatts from wind energy, and an auction
plan is being prepared for the construction of at least 1,000
megawatts of new capacities from RES in the next few years. In
addition, the priority is the construction of transmission systems
to the neighbouring countries, by projects such as the Trans-Balkan
Corridor, which, in addition to higher security of supply, is also
important because it facilitates easier integration of RES and the
development of the electricity market in the region,” the minister
explained.
Djedovic pointed out that since Serbia and Azerbaijan have
already signed a Cooperation Agreement between the two governments
in the field of energy and mining, she expects to discuss new
opportunities for cooperation and potential projects in the field
of RES.
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