Serbia Might Engage Russian Companies in Repairing Djerdap Power Plant - Ambassador

MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 23rd June, 2020) The Serbian government might invite Russian companies to take part in the repair works on the Djerdap hydroelectric power plant, Serbian Ambassador to Russia Miroslav Lazanski told Sputnik in an interview.

Djerdap, also known as Iron Gate after the Danube river's gorge where it is located, was built in the 1970s by Romania and Serbia, then part of Yugoslavia. In 2019, the Serbian government contracted Russian company Silovye Mashiny to repair one of Djerdap's 10 turbines as part of an ongoing overhaul.

"With regard to the energy sector in general, it is possible that in the future we will repair units of the Djerdap hydroelectric power plant. Russian companies have already done it, too," Lazanski said.

However, according to the ambassador, Serbia's energy sector is currently largely focused on the TurkStream project, which is a 570-mile twin pipeline to pump gas from Russia via Turkey further up to southeastern Europe.

"As [Serbian President Aleksandar] Vucic has already said, we really hope to get the first batch of gas by the end of 2020, but this no longer depends on us. We have finished our part of works, and it is now up to Bulgaria. Bulgaria promised to intensify construction works and finish its segment of the pipeline by the end of the year, albeit they already fall behind the schedule," the Serbian ambassador said.

The construction of TurkStream began in May 2017. By November of the next year, the pipeline's offshore segment across the Black Sea from Russia's Russkaya compressor station, near Anapa, to Turkey's receiving terminal of Luleburgaz, near Kiyikoy was ready. The onshore segment is planned to be extended further through Bulgaria, Serbia and Hungary.