The deliveries of Russian gas to Serbia have dropped by 28% in the past week,
but the country's energy system is stable and there is enough gas to meet
demand, Belgrade-based media reported on Friday, quoting the Balkan country's
energy minister Aleksandar Antic.
Serbia has been getting over the past
seven days 3.2 million cubic meters (cu m) of Russian gas per day instead of 4.5
million cu m with domestic production and withdrawals from the Banatski Dvor
underground gas storage offsetting the difference, news agency Tanjug reported,
quoting Antic.
The official said the reduction in gas deliveries from
Gazprom's export arm, Gazprom Export, was due to a cut in deliveries to all
other countries on the Ukrainian gas transit route, but also because of Serbia's
unpaid gas bills which total $224 million (178 million euro).
Antic also
said that over the next week talks will be held with the Russian side how to
tackle the gas supply debts and that he will contact his Russian counterpart
with a request to normalize gas supplies to Serbia even before an agreement is
reached on the repayment terms.
State-owned gas monopoly Srbijagas will
repay by the end of this year $100 million of debt it owes Gazprom Export with
negotiations expected on how to settle the remaining
obligations.
Banatski Dvor can store up to 450 million cu m of natural
gas.
Gazprom Export delivered 1.14 billion cu m of gas to Serbia in 2013
as part of a 10-year supply agreement. The Balkan state has just one gas supply
route, coming via Ukraine and Hungary.