Plinacro has not yet received an official notification from Gazprom

Regarding the latest developments in the South Stream project of the Russian Gazprom, Plinacro d.o.o. announced late in the afternoon that it has not yet received any official notification from its Russian partner Gazprom regarding the final decision on the final route of South Stream, and that they are unable to comment on the statements made by Gazprom’s Vice President Alexander Medvedev during the signing of the final contract for the construction of the pipeline with Hungary.

The Russian gas production company Gazprom has signed a contract with Hungary for the construction of a joint project for the South Stream pipeline through that country, confirming that the main route will not go through Croatia. Gazprom’s Deputy Chairman Alexander Medvedev signed this contract on Wednesday, October 31, with Csaba Bajai, the President and CEO of the Hungarian gas company MVM, Gazprom announced. ‘The project for the construction of the South Stream pipeline together with Hungarian partners is an important element in the new architecture of European energy security. Such a system will ensure an uninterrupted gas supply and provide Hungary with long-term benefits and stability,’ said Medvedev.

Neda Erdeljac from the Public Relations Office of Plinacro d.o.o. states that ‘Plinacro has been intensively negotiating with Russian Gazprom since 2010 about connecting the Republic of Croatia to the international South Stream pipeline, as well as about the modalities of that cooperation.

She adds that in all previous contacts with the media, Plinacro has ’emphasized that during the preparation of the Feasibility Study for the South Stream project on the territory of the Republic of Croatia, a confidentiality agreement was signed between Plinacro and Gazprom’ and that ‘therefore they are unable to disclose details and technical specifics to the public’.

Erdeljac also emphasizes, ‘We have stated that the Croatian national gas transmission system operator – Plinacro d.o.o. is operationally, technologically, and even financially ready to meet all the deadlines for the construction of the pipeline required by Gazprom, but that the decision on the final route of South Stream lies exclusively with Gazprom and therefore we cannot prejudge the decision of our Russian partner.’

‘Considering that up to this moment Plinacro d.o.o. has not received any official notification from its Russian partner Gazprom regarding the final decision on the final route of South Stream, we are unable to comment on the statements made by Gazprom’s Vice President Alexander Medvedev regarding the signing of the final contract for the construction of the pipeline with Hungary,’ concludes Neda Erdeljac from the Public Relations Office of Plinacro d.o.o.