First CEO and then company - "Gazprom" and "Srbijagas" to finish preparations for forming joint venture soon

- The joint venture of companies "Gazprom" and "Srbijagas" for modernization of underground gas storage Banatski Dvor will be registered as soon as Russian side appoints the CEO, which should happen within next few days - Dušan Mrakić, the State Secretary in the Ministry of Energy, announced on Sunday.

According to Mrakić, all documents for registration are ready, and the contract for forming the joint venture for Banatski Dvor was signed on October 20th, during the visit of the President of Russia, Dmitrij Medvedev, to Serbia.

- After the New Year and Christmas holidays, we will resume the negotiations with Slovakian partners on construction of new gas storage in Serbia, but the location has not been selected yet - said Mrakić.

Potential locations for the new storage are exploited gas deposits in Vojvodina, possibly Mokrin or Itebej, and former oil deposit in Ostrovo near Požarevac.

Serbia should also reach the agreement with Slovaks on construction of the gas pipeline from Aleksandrovac, via Brus and Kopaonik, to Raška and Novi Pazar. The value of construction of new gas storage, without gas, is about 40m EUR, while the first phase of the gas pipeline would cost about 10.5m EUR.