The Delegation of the European Union (EU) in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) said that the EU is not convinced that the establishment of a new gas company would be justified.
The EU Delegation reminded that in terms of alternative sources of energy and security of natural gas supply, BiH is completely dependent on a single source (import of Russian natural gas via Turkish Stream), which makes it vulnerable in the event of a supply interruption.
“Southern Interconnection will contribute to strengthening BiH’s integration into the European gas market and increasing security of supply. The project meets the conditions for EU grants through the Western Balkans Investment Framework (WBIF), after submitting mature project documentation,” the Delegation stated.
Eastern Interconnection and a new company
Moreover, the EU Delegation said that although the Eastern Interconnection would mean an additional entry point of supply, it connects to the same source on which BiH is already dependent and does not contribute to diversification or increasing the security of supply.
They emphasized that the EU has successfully taken measures to reduce dependence on Russian gas and is calling on its partners to do the same.
“In any case, what is important is that the Council of Ministers managed to reach a compromise solution on the issue of gas interconnectors, and we call for this productive spirit to continue in order to enable the construction of further infrastructure projects for the benefit of the citizens of BiH,” the Delegation pointed out.
Furthermore, they added that the EU is not convinced that the establishment of a new gas company would be justified, neither economically nor in terms of functionality.
It should be recalled that at the Energy Summit in Neum, the United States (U.S.) Ambassador Michael Murphy said that calls for the formation of a new gas operator only for the southern interconnection project do not make sense either from a technical or an economic point of view, Klix.ba reports.
E.Dz.
