In order to continue the preparations for the realization of the Southern Gas Interconnection project, Representatives of Bosnian gas company BH-Gas and Croatian natural gas transmission system operator Plinacro have signed a statement on the connection point of the future Southern Gas Interconnection, which will be located near Imotski. Member of Plinacro’s Management Board Marin Zovko said that, in this way, Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) diversifies its supply and enables gasification along two routes: one to Sarajevo and the other to Mostar, thus enabling the increase of gas consumption in the country.
Zovko stressed that the project is of strategic importance for security of natural gas supply for BiH because it ensures diversification of routes and sources of supply through LNG terminal on the island of Krk, the future Ionian-Adriatic (IAP) gas pipeline that will supply gas from the Caspian region and other supply routes. Currently, Croatia has enough capacity in its gas infrastructure, but by further increasing the capacity it will have greater usability of the system and thus will be able to reduce the prices of gas transport services to consumers in Croatia, but also in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Zovko explained.
The Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (FBiH) is currently supplied with natural gas from only one direction and also from only one source, using a pipeline that crosses the Serbia-BiH border near Zvornik and continues to Kladanj, Sarajevo, Zenica and Travnik. Apart from the fact that FBiH is dependent on only one source and supply route, it should be noted that the existing gas pipeline, built in 1979, is obsolete and burdened during the winter period when gas consumption is highest. Therefore, in the explanation of the draft law it is pointed out that the construction of a new gas interconnection in the direction Zagvozd (Croatia)-Imotski-Posusje-Novi Travnik stretch, with a branch toward Mostar, recognized as a project of the greatest importance for FBiH. The Southern Gas Interconnection is thus included in all key strategic, planning and development documents adopted at the level of FBiH and BiH. Last October, the USAID project of Assistance to the Energy Sector in BiH and gas company BH-Gas announced the beginning of the campaign of informing the public about the Southern Gas Interconnection project worth around 100 million euros, which entails the construction of 180 kilometers long gas pipeline, 160 of which in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
