The official start of the construction of the intersystem gas connection with Serbia on Bulgarian territory was given in the area of the village of Golyanovtsi, Kostinbrod by the Presidents of Bulgaria and Serbia, Rumen Radev and Aleksandar Vucic, the Ministers of Energy, Rosen Hristov and Dubravka Dedovic, Kalin Peshov, Member of the Supervisory Board of “Glavbolgarstroy Holding“ and Chairman of the Board of Directors of “GBS International“, and the Executive Director of “Bulgartransgaz“ Vladimir Malinov.

The project is a step towards the energy independence of our country. It will expand Bulgaria’s access to the European gas market, with a capacity of up to 1.8 billion cubic meters of gas per year and the possibility of reverse flow. It is expected to be completed by October this year, on Bulgarian territory, and by the beginning of the next heating season, on Serbian territory. The pipeline is a project of common EU interest funded by the Connecting Europe Facility.

“As a company with more than half a century of experience in building gas infrastructure in Eastern Europe, we are aware of the high honor but also the high responsibility of being the executor of this strategic project,” said Kalin Peshov, Member of the Supervisory Board of “Glavbolgarstroy Holding“ and Chairman of the Board of Directors of “GBS International“. He thanked President Rumen Radev and the management of “Bulgartransgaz“ for their demonstrated political will to implement this project and other strategic projects such as the expansion of the gas storage facility in Chiren. Peshov also thanked the more than 300 welders, machinists, technicians, and managers who will spend the upcoming months on the site or thinking about it 24 hours a day. He promised that the gas connection to Serbia will be constructed with world–class materials and equipment, respecting the construction deadline and protecting the health and lives of all those working on the project and all the people in the surrounding area.

The total length of the gas route project is about 170 km, starting from Novi Iskar in Bulgaria and ending in the Serbian city of Nis. On the Bulgarian side, the route is 62 km long. In addition to the laying of the pipes, which arrived at the port of Burgas two weeks ago, two automatic gas regulating stations, one gas measuring station at Kalotina, and two gas diversions at Slivnitsa and Dragoman will also be constructed. The pipes with which the gas connection will be built are imported from India by an internationally renowned company.