Serbia - Strategic Gas Infrastructure and Institutional Strengthening Project

pipeline

The Program Development Objective (PrDO) is to enhance the security of gas supply in Serbia through expanded transmission infrastructure and increased storage capacity. The Serbia Gas Sector Development Program under Multi-Phase Programmatic Approach (SGSD MPA) is structured as a three-phase program to support the modernization, diversification, and resilience of Serbia’s natural gas sector over time. It is organized around three pillars: (i) expanding and upgrading gas transmission and storage infrastructure to remove physical bottlenecks, strengthen strategic network corridors, and improve access to underground gas storage; (ii) strengthening sector governance and the regulatory and planning framework to support the transparent, efficient, and EU-aligned operation of gas infrastructure and markets; and (iii) enhancing institutional capacity to plan, implement, and manage major gas infrastructure investments effectively and sustainably. Phase I is designed to address the most immediate constraint in Serbia’s gas transmission system while establishing the institutional and technical foundation for the broader program. It will finance: (i) the construction of the Trupale-Pojate section (62 km), the first subsection of the broader Trupale-Veliko Orašje high-pressure inland gas pipeline, which is essential to increase inland transmission capacity and improve the utilization of gas flows from the IBS; (ii) the establishment and operationalization of a dedicated PIU within the Ministry of Mining and Energy (MoME), together with technical assistance to operationalize Transmission Network Owner (TNO); and (iii) the preparation of key technical, environmental and social (E&S), and sector studies required for implementation of Phase I and preparation of subsequent phases, including feasibility studies, E&S assessments and management plans, hydraulic assessments, and sector planning documentation. Phase I will also include support to the Working Group to be established for the review, supervision, and agreement of the spatial planning process being developed by the GoS, to help ensure that the final routing is technically, environmentally and socially acceptable. A Contingent Emergency Response Component (CERC) is also planned under Component 3 of Phase I.