Sarajevo could be left without natural gas from January 1 because the gas supply contract between “Energoinvest” and “Sarajevo-gas” East Sarajevo has not been signed.
Energoinvest d.d. Sarajevo informed the users that it is “faced with one-sided ultimate and financially completely unrealistic demands of the natural gas transporter from Republika Srpska “Sarajevo-gas” East Sarajevo, which refers to the price and conditions of gas transportation.
“The request from Sarajevo-Gas-East Sarajevo was ultimatum with a written threat of unilateral closure of the valve and the impossibility of transporting gas to the Canton of Sarajevo,” the announcement states.
The request for a new transport price for 2024, reduced to the length of the route operated by Sarajevo-gas Istočno Sarajevo, was, as they say, twice as high as the price of BH Gas, and that even the Gas Regulator from the RS did not approve the request and gave its consent.
“Energoinvest could not accept such conditions, especially supported by the already known “threat of war” to close the valve, because it would cause a chain and enormous increase in the prices of gas transportation by the other two transporters in BiH”, say Energoinvest.
As they say, the Sarajevo-gas transporter Istočno Sarajevo refused calls for agreement and warnings about the consequences of the threat, and “confirmed the threat of closing the valve in writing”.
Energoinvest says that threats and ultimatums were not made by the public, but they took all measures within the scope of their own capabilities and responsibilities in order to solve the problem.
“Detailed familiarization of the FBiH Government with the problem and the request for immediate involvement in order to contact and agree with the representatives of the Government of the Republika Srpska, which was done on the part of the Government of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina on several levels, on the basis of which an appropriate agreement was reached yesterday, December 28, 2023.” they said.
Energoinvest said that they expect Sarajevo-gas Istočno Sarajevo to respond to today’s repeated call for a reasonable agreement, and they ask citizens and gas users for patience and understanding.
The director of “Sarajevo-gas” East Sarajevo, Nedeljko Elek, said that Sarajevo will be without natural gas from January 1, because the contract with the Sarajevo company “Energoinvest” on the supply of gas has not been signed.
He “expressed his regret that gas delivery will be suspended from the new year, noting that the contract expires on December 31”.
“Sarajevo-gas”, as Elek says, has been warning colleagues from “Energoinvest” since October that they were being called to meetings and sent a large number of letters in order to solve this problem.
According to him, they even proposed signing a three-year contract.
Elek stated that “Energoinvest” only decided on the first meeting about ten days ago, where they explained that they allegedly “can’t do something because of a former director, letters, public pressure and the like, adding that no agreement was reached”. .
“We proposed a new price of 14.1 BAM, twice as cheap as the 33 BAM they pay to “BH-Gas” for transport. We have no answer, and on December 31 the contract expires, without which there is no gas delivery,” said Elek.
