Romania, Serbia to advance cooperation in gas, hydropower sectors

Minister of Mining and Energy of Serbia Dubravka Dedovic Handanovic spoke last Thursday with Minister of Energy of Romania Sebastian Burduja about bilateral cooperation in the energy sector, the gas interconnection project and new investments in hydropower.   Dedovic Handanovic pointed out that the two countries traditionally have good and friendly relations, a foundation for advancing cooperation in the energy sector. “Romania is Serbia’s friendly neighboring country with which we foster strong bilateral relations in many spheres, and energy represents a strong pillar of our cooperation. We have been successfully developing cooperation in the electric power sector for decades, whereas hydropower plants on the Danube have represented a pillar for a secure electricity supply in both countries for 60 years now. At this point in time, we require the construction of new pumped storage hydropower plants more than ever, so that we achieve energy transition goals and integrate RES capacities into our system more easily. PSHPP Bistrica and PSHPP Derdap 3 are among the most important energy projects. They will change the energy landscape of our country and enable the balancing of variable energy sources,” she stated.   The two countries are jointly running hydropower plants Iron Gate 1 and 2 (Derdap 1 and 2), Serbia’s biggest ones, on their border on the Danube. In Romanian, they are called Portile de Fier 1 and 2. Derdap 3 is Serbia’s pumped storage hydropower project.   Preliminary study underway for ?erdap 3 pumped storage hydropower plant The preliminary feasibility study for PSHPP Derdap 3 is under development and it will show the project’s technical and economic feasibility, Dedovic Handanovic said. She spoke with her counterpart on the sidelines of the ministerial meeting of the Central and South Eastern Europe energy connectivity (CESEC) high-level working group. “To us it is very important to discuss this potential project with the Romanian partners because of its regional impact”, the minister asserted.   Dedovic Handanovic stressed regional interconnectivity in the gas sector is Serbia’s strategic objective and that it should improve the security of gas supply. “Late last year we put the Serbia-Bulgaria gas interconnection into trial operation, enabling the diversification of sources and supply as well as the delivery from the LNG terminal in Greece and of gas from Azerbaijan. Our plan is to connect with other neighbors as well, first with North Macedonia and Romania, and to additionally secure the supply to our citizens and companies, but also the gasification of the southern and eastern parts of our country,” the minister said.   The Government of Serbia recognized the project for a gas pipeline between Mokrin in Serbia and Arad in Romania as one of the priorities and it should be built by 2026, Dedovic Handanovic added. She revealed that she expects a memorandum of understanding that would include the topic to be signed soon.   The minister said Serbia has increased its bilateral electricity transmission capacities with Romania with the construction of the Trans-Balkan Electricity Corridor and that the Beogrid project envisages doubling the capacity.   Burduja informed his counterpart with the energy transition plans and highlighted the need to build pumped storage hydropower plants, saying that they would accelerate the process, the Ministry of Mining and Energy of Serbia said.