Thewesternbalkans.
According to some North Macedonian and Serbian media, the contract for the design and construction of the gas pipeline interconnector between North Macedonia and Serbia was signed by the heads of the companies Nomagas and Rapid Build. The ceremony was attended by North Macedonia’s Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski and Minister of Energy Sanja Bozinovska.
The document was signed by Nedim Rama, director of the state-owned joint-stock company Nomagas, which operates North Macedonia’s gas transmission system, and Toni Karanfilovski, head of the construction company Rapid Build.
Rama announced that, following the tender process, Rapid Build’s offer worth 29.4 million euros was selected. According to him, building the connection with Serbia will be important for North Macedonia’s energy development.
The new interconnector is an extension of the gas corridor that runs from Greece through North Macedonia and Serbia to Hungary and the markets of the European Union. “With this, North Macedonia becomes an equal and significant part of the ‘Vertical Corridor’ initiative,” Rama said.
The Macedonian section will be 22.4 kilometres long, with a diameter of 500 millimetres. The route will start near the village of Klečevce, Kumanovo municipality, in the northern part of the country, and will reach the border with Serbia near the village of Sopot.
The planned technical capacity of the pipeline is 160,000 cubic meters of gas per hour. The facility will be able to operate in both directions, and the expected completion time is by the fourth quarter of 2028.
Kumanovo-based “Rapid Build” is already building another important gas project — the interconnector between North Macedonia and Greece, which is 66.7 kilometres long. It’s expected to be completed in 2027.
The gas connection with Serbia is part of Skopje’s plans to turn the country into a transit hub for natural gas from the south to Serbia and Central Europe. At the same time, North Macedonia is working on the connection with Greece, which will give the national gas transmission system access to the liquefied natural gas terminal in Alexandroupolis.
Once the interconnector with Serbia is built, gas will be able to continue to Central Europe, including Hungary and Austria.
Comments: The project deserves attention because it practically duplicates the gas connection between Bulgaria and Serbia. The capacity of the facility doesn’t match the ambitious plans for supplying natural gas to Central and Western Europe, but on the other hand, it gives North Macedonia the chance to secure a good alternative for gas supplies in today’s uncertain energy situation in Europe. The possibility of reversibility in the operation of the new pipeline is also worth noting.
