The Vertical Gas Corridor is extending beyond its original Southeast European footprint as transmission system operators from Serbia and North Macedonia prepare to join the initiative. The corridor is designed to connect Greek import infrastructure with Central Europe and the Western Balkans.
Representatives of Transportgas Srbija and North Macedonia’s NOMAGAS took part in the corridor’s latest coordination meeting in Athens for the first time. Their participation signals a formal enlargement of a network that already includes Greece’s DESFA, Gastrade and ICGB, Bulgaria’s Bulgartransgaz, Romania’s Transgaz, Moldova’s Vestmoldtransgaz, Hungary’s FGSZ, Slovakia’s EUSTREAM, and Ukraine’s GTSOU.
Governance update and cross-border assessment
The operators agreed to revise the initiative’s memorandum of understanding to incorporate Serbia and North Macedonia into governance and technical planning. A joint technical and commercial working group will assess cross-border capacity, long-term demand, tariff structures and the investment required to make the route commercially sustainable.
The working group’s scope covers both capacity planning and commercial conditions across participating systems. The corridor’s next steps are linked to how those assessments translate into practical arrangements for cross-border gas movements .
Commercial conditions alongside physical build-out
Commercial work is described as becoming as important as construction of physical infrastructure. The corridor’s strategic case is based on moving gas northwards from LNG terminals in Greece, the Trans-Adriatic Pipeline and other non-Russian supply routes.
Pipelines alone are not presented as sufficient to ensure competitive flows. Shippers are expected to face accumulated entry and exit tariffs as gas passes through several national systems .
Tariff coordination and implications for Serbia and North Macedonia
Tariff optimisation and coordinated capacity allocation are identified as key factors in whether the corridor operates as a regularly used market route or remains primarily an energy-security option. Serbia’s participation is linked to adding a sizeable national market and connecting the corridor with storage capacity at Banatski Dvor and future Serbian interconnectors.
North Macedonia is described as providing another potential link between Greek infrastructure and the Western Balkans. Its inclusion is positioned as supporting diversification away from a system historically dependent on a single supply direction through Bulgaria.
Expanded network footprint and demand commitments
The enlarged corridor would connect Southeast Europe, Central Europe and the Western Balkans through a broader network of LNG terminals, interconnectors and national transmission systems. For Serbia, this is associated with prospects for access to additional Greek and Caspian gas while strengthening its role as a transit and storage market rather than solely a final importer.
The initiative still requires coordinated investment decisions and binding commercial demand. The next phase depends on whether regional utilities and industrial buyers are prepared to reserve long-term capacity at tariffs competitive with established supply routes .
