BAJATOVIĆ: Contract on modernization of gas storage "Banatski Dvor" to be signed soon

The contract on founding of joint venture for modernization of underground natural gas storage Banatski Dvor will most probably be signed in the second half of July between "Srbijagas" and Russian "Gazprom".

The Director General of "Srbijagas", Dušan Bajatović, said for Saturday's (July 11, 2009) "Večernje novosti" that the contract had been finished, but the ownership information still needed to be "fixed".

- We have already agreed on everything, but we still need to organize the ownership information. Certain papers are not "clean", that is, a part of property in Banatski Dvor has not been transferred to "Srbijagas" yet. We should do that part of the job and forward the whole document to "Gazprom" on Monday, for verification - said he.

Bajatović said that the final text of the contract would be first checked by the Russians, evaluated by the advisers from "Srbijagas" and then forwarded to the meeting of the Government of Serbia.

When asked when the contract for founding of joint venture with "Gazprom" for construction of gas pipeline Južni Tok would be signed, Bajatović said that the registration process was in progress and that everything went as planned.

- We are working and that contract will be finished soon. It is necessary that we form an expert team in "Srbijagas" that will be dealing with the design of two justification studies for the gas pipeline's route through Serbia. One of them must be done by the criteria of "Gazprom", while the other, which should be adopted by the Government of Serbia, must be brought in accord with our laws - said he.

According to his words, 80% of these studies are identical.

When asked whether gas price would be decreased, Bajatović said that the purchase price of gas had "dropped" but that "Gazprom" must give an official confirmation.

- After that, we will calculate all the costs and forward that paper to the Energy Agency - said Bajatović.

JP Srbijagas Novi Sad

Gazprom Moscow

Agencija za energetiku Republike Srbije

Vlada Republike Srbije

Gas storage Bantski Dvor

gas pipeline Južni Tok