Belgrade, May 21 - Neftegaz.RU. Serbia-based Gastrans, majority owned by Russia's Cazprom, has taken delivery of 7,000 tonnes of pipes for the construction of a natural gas pipeline from the border with Bulgaria to the border with Hungary, Seenews reported.
The pipes were delivered at the Danube port of Novi Sad port and loaded on trucks for their transportation throughout Serbia, while preparatory works for the construction of the pipeline are being carried out in the area of Sajkasa, near Novi Sad.
"The project is very complicated from a technical point of view; we work under strict deadlines and plan to complete it by December 18 which requires a large commitment of the Serbian civil engineering industry," Serbian energy minister Aleksandar Antic said.
By December, when the construction works should be completed, about 50,000 tonnes of pipes will be delivered, each 12 metres in length and weighing 5.27 tonnes.
Gazprom plans to build a string of its Turkish Stream pipeline for transit of gas to Europe from Turkey via Bulgaria, Serbia and Hungary.
The future pipeline on the territory of Serbia, approximately 400 km in length, will link the country's natural gas transmission system to those of Bulgaria and Hungary .
Novi Sad-based Gastrans is 100%-owned by Swiss-based South Stream Serbia, according to data from Serbia's commercial register. Gazprom owns a 51% stake in South Stream Serbia, while state-owned Srbijagas holds the remaining 49%.
