Hungary-Serbia oil pipeline receives green permit for construction

Serbia’s Ministry of Environmental Protection has issued a decision approving the Environmental Impact Assessment study for the construction of a major oil pipeline connecting the Hungarian border with Novi Sad.

The construction of this pipeline is considered one of the country’s most important energy projects, crucial for diversifying supply routes and strengthening long-term energy security.

The project developer is Transnafta AD Pancevo, which, let us remind, submitted the request for environmental approval for this investment earlier this summer.

This new pipeline will enable Serbia to receive oil from Hungary, a country traversed by the famous Druzhba pipeline that supplies much of Europe with crude oil. The project is designed to transport REB (Russian Export Blend) crude oil.

The starting point of the pipeline route will be near the Horgos border crossing, specifically, northeast of the village of Horgos, while the endpoint is planned at Transnafta’s terminal in Novi Sad. Within Serbian territory, the pipeline will span approximately 113 kilometers, be laid entirely underground, and have a projected capacity of 5.5 million tons of oil per year.

The route of the main oil pipeline section, along with its associated facilities, runs generally from north to south and extends through the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina. Along this path, it traverses the territories of the municipalities of Kanjiza, Senta, Ada, Becej and Zabalj, as well as the City of Novi Sad, specifically the cadastral parcels detailed in the submitted application.

Strict protection and monitoring measures

Under the decision issued by the relevant ministry, Transnafta is strictly required to fully comply with all prescribed environmental protection measures during both the construction and subsequent operation of the pipeline. This applies particularly to the implementation of the program for monitoring the project’s impact on all environmental factors, a matter detailed in the key chapters of the Study.

These measures include preventive steps to avoid or mitigate potentially harmful impacts at the site and in its immediate vicinity, both during normal system operations and in unforeseen situations, such as potential accidents or technical service interruptions. The entire project complies with the applicable laws and regulations of the Republic of Serbia.

As stated, the decision issued by the Ministry of Environmental Protection is final within the administrative procedure. Interested bodies, organizations and members of the public wishing to directly review the complete documentation may do so at the Ministry’s premises in Belgrade or via the institution’s official website.

Branislava Petrovic

Ministarstvo zaštite životne sredine Republike Srbije

Transnafta ad Pančevo

Ministry of Environmental Protection

Transnafta ad Pančevo

Hungary Serbia oil pipeline

Druzhba oil pipeline

green permit

oil pipeline construction