Belgrade (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic says that gas supply flows from Azerbaijan to Serbia have been halted and indicated that there would be no clear forecast for when that might change.
According to Aleksandar Vucic,
I was informed by our Azerbaijan brothers and friends that, because of force majeure, and what they have there, we from today cannot count on 1.7 million cubic meters of gas which were being brought here each day.
“This means that as of today, we will start spending gas reserves,”
he stated, hoping gas flows would resume.
New U.S. sanctions on Russia’s oil sector mean that Gazprom Neft, Russia’s largest oil producer, has a 45-day window of opportunity to close out its share ownership of Serbia’s largest oil company, NIS-positions a major stake for Serbian budgetary resources. NIS is majority-owned by Gazprom Neft, which retains a 50% stake in the company, and by Russia’s Gazprom, which owns 6.15% of shares. The Serbian government owns 29.87%, with small shareholders contributing the rest.
Why has Azerbaijan suspended gas flows to Serbia?
BP-Azerbaijan, on 10 January 2025, reported the suspension of its operations on the Shah Deniz Alpha (SDA) platform owing to a technical hitch that has been identified in the subsea gas condensate export line. The hitch obliged the company to stop production and export as precautionary measures. BP clarified that there were no issues with the platform itself and that all personnel, along with associated facilities, were safe.
Suspension has had an immediate impact on gas supplies, particularly deliveries to Bulgaria and Serbia. Azerbaijani gas supplies to Bulgaria have been suspended starting January 7, 2025, with the supply resumed on January 11, 2025. The Serbian President further confirmed that due to the same technical issues at the Shah Deniz field, gas flows to Serbia were suspended.