ELEK: BY BUILDING A GAS PIPELINE, WE ARE CREATING OUR ENERGY INDEPENDENCE

JAHORINA, MAY 12 /SRNA/ - Nedeljko Elek General Director of "Sarajevo-gas" from Istočno Sarajevo, stated during the Jahorina Economic Forum that the priority is the construction of a main gas pipeline from Šepak to Novi Grad, emphasizing that this project will create energy independence for Republika Srpska.

Elek said that the goal is the gasification of all municipalities and cities so that gas becomes available in every household in Republika Srpska. He noted that gasification started in the eastern part of Republika Srpska, and that work is now focused on the main gas pipeline, which is expected to be completed within the next four years. "Without energy, there is no politics. By building this gas pipeline, we are creating our energy independence," Elek said at the panel "Regional Energy in the Shadow of Geopolitical Developments." According to him, gas infrastructure is also being built in the FBiH under the patronage of the United States, which shows that Europe is not a key player, even in BiH, although it opposes both gasification projects in the country. "Both interconnections are beneficial, and they will provide a certain level of independence. At this moment, we also have the option of gas from Azerbaijan," Elek added. He said that by building the main gas pipeline, Republika Srpska aims to become a transit market. "Our capacity is more than four billion cubic meters of gas, which is far above our needs, and we will have the possibility to transit around two billion cubic meters," Elek said. According to him, energy instability leads to political instability, adding that the most costly mistakes for countries are energy misconceptions, and that one of them, in his opinion, is green energy. "In the last four years, the EU has supported Ukraine with 200 billion euros, while in the same period it purchased Russian gas worth 230 billion euros, and now they tell us that from 2028 we must not buy anything from Russia," Elek stated. He pointed out that the price of one cubic meter of gas in East Sarajevo is one convertible mark, while the price of water is 1.5 marks, adding that productivity cannot be the same when using Russian gas costing one mark versus other gas costing 3.5 marks. Denis Stevanović, Director of the Republika Srpska Environmental Protection and Energy Efficiency Fund, emphasized that local communities and companies have proven to be reliable partners of the Fund, noting that the institution has co-financed numerous energy efficiency projects. "Through one project with UNDP, we implemented energy efficiency measures on 21 public facilities, with estimated annual savings of four million kilowatt-hours of thermal energy," Stevanović said. Miroslav Kojadinović, a member of the German Federal Energy Commission, stated that a country that has energy has everything. Kojadinović highlighted that the price of one kilowatt-hour of electricity in Germany used to be four cents when using Russian gas, whereas today, after stopping purchases of Russian gas, it is 21 cents per kilowatt-hour. Goran Janjić, President of the Advisory Board of the Western Balkans Green Navigator, said that new policies in economic systems affect the competitiveness of countries, citing as an example the relocation of Germany’s chemical industry out of the country.