GAS CRISIS BEGINS TO BITE SERBIA

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 BELGRADE 000012 SIPDIS USDOC FOR 4232/ITA/MAC/EUR/OEERIS/SSAVICH E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: ECON ENRG ETRD SR SUBJECT: GAS CRISIS BEGINS TO BITE SERBIA Ref: 08 Belgrade 1333 Summary -------------- ¶1. With the cutoff of gas supplies from Serbia's sole gas import pipeline from Hungary on January 6, Serbia is effectively without natural gas until the end of the Russia-Ukraine dispute. Deliveries of gas to Serbia ended on January 6 as an Orthodox Christmas Eve present from Moscow. Most Serbian central heating systems can and are switching to fuel oil, but homes and businesses connected to the gas grid in Vojvodina and Belgrade must find their own alternatives for heat. Serbia's just signed agreement with Gazprom to sell oil firm NIS (reftel) did not provide any additional protection from the gas shutoff. End Summary. Merry Christmas - Gas Supplies Cut on January 6 -------------- -- ¶2. Serbia's gas imports from Hungary dried up late in the afternoon of January 6, Orthodox Christmas Eve. The government met in emergency session on January 7 after which Prime Minister Cvetkovic held a press conference to address public fears about the situation. Cvetkovic told the public that the situation was serious, but not yet critical. Cvetkovic said that most heating plants were capable of switching to fuel oil, and Serbia had sufficient fuel oil for at least a month. Most Central Heating Working, Individuals on Own -------------- --- ¶3. Dragan Vucur, Executive Director for Commercial Affairs at Srbijagas, told us on January 7 that the gas pipes were totally empty. No gas was available for individual households, district power plants or industry. Srbijgas had less than 1 million cubic meters of gas daily for urgent needs: 500,000 cubic meters from domestic production and just over 400,000 cubic meters from the underground gas storage facility at Banatski Dvor that was working for the first time. Gas stocks from Banatski Dvor would be used up in a couple of days. In winter, Serbia traditionally uses gas near the maximum import capacity of 10 million cubic meters daily. ¶4. Aleksandar Antic, Belgrade City Assembly President, told us that the situation in Belgrade was stable. All district heating powers plants were working on fuel oil except one small one in an outer suburb that could not switch. Individual households using natural gas for heating outside the district heating power plant system were on their own. Currently, the electricity system in Belgrade was 
stable and consuming only from domestic production. On January 6-7, electricity generation in Belgrade was 32 million kWh and there was capacity to increase to 35-36 million kWh (10-15% more). Antic said he believed the electricity situation was similar in the rest of Serbia. Antic said Srbijagas reps told him that they expected some solution between Russia and Ukraine within 72 hours. Hungary Unable to Provide Interim Supplies -------------- ¶5. The head of Srbijagas went to Hungary on January 7 to discuss shipments from Hungary of domestic or stored gas reserves. He was unsuccessful in reaching an agreement to receive gas immediately, but received assurances that Hungarian firm MOL would start gas delivery as soon as Russia and Ukraine came to an agreement. This would help Serbia get its gas system back up more quickly than waiting for the full system to repressurize and for full supplies from Russia to come through the system. ¶6. Milos Milankovic, director of the Serbian transmission system operator EMS, told us on January 8 that the electricity generation and transmission system was stable and working at full capacity. Electricity production in Serbia was at its maximum capacity, but the transmission system could handle more electricity with imports if necessary. Currently, Serbia was not importing electricity. Milankovic blamed Srbijgas for not extending an agreement with MOL that would have provided additional gas deliveries of up to 1.5 million cubic meters per day beyond Serbia's purchases from Gazprom. Milankovic said that the gas price agreed last year for these additional deliveries was 20% higher than the Russian price but that this extra cost would have been worth it to ensure additional supplies in situations like this. The current Serbian gas price from Russia was $495 for 1,000 cubic meters of gas and almost 10%, or $35 to $45, paid for transit through Hungary. Gas Grid Limited to Vojvodina and Belgrade -------------- ¶6. Zoran Alimpic, Deputy President of the Belgrade Assembly, told us on December 24 that Beogradske Elektrane provided central heating to half of the 500,000 households in and around Belgrade. About 15% of BELGRADE 00000012 002 OF 002 households in Belgrade use gas heating. The rest use electricity, fuel oil or wood. ¶7. Vojvodina and the suburbs of Belgrade are the only areas in Serbia where the gas grid is connected directly to households. Early reports suggest about 100,000 households are heated with gas. These households will have to find alternative heat. Embassy Housing Still Warm -------------- ¶8. The Embassy has its own boiler and a full tank of fuel oil. The tank is sufficient to heat the Embassy for four to six weeks. Some Embassy residences in the suburb of Banovo Brdo have gas heat. With one exception, they all have an oil or electrical back-up system. All residences are now on back-up oil or electrical systems. Oil tanks at residences have enough fuel oil for 25-30 days. Embassy apartments downtown are on the city heating system that has switched over to fuel oil. COMMENT -------------- ¶9. The Serbian Government's self-promotion as a "geostrategic partner between the EU and Russia" took a hit with Gazprom's turning off the gas tap. President Tadic said that Serbia was "collateral damage" in the dispute, but he did not indicate support for Russia's position in the dispute. With cold temperatures dipping into the teens at night for the foreseeable future, some Serbs will struggle to keep warm. The shutdown will also affect Serbia's economy, but the economic slowdown and the holiday season meant that many industrial gas consumers had already decreased or suspended production. For example, major gas user U.S. Steel had already shut down most of its operations due to falling steel demand. ¶10. Serbia's recent energy deal with Gazprom and Russia did nothing to spare it from the consequences of the gas dispute. Gazprom's pressure to sign the NIS sale agreement before the end of December may have been a result of the company's recognition that the dispute with the Ukraine could affect Serbia. Serbia has few alternatives with only one import pipeline for gas, but with the Russian energy agreement Serbia also gave up future control of its nascent gas storage facility to Gazprom. In the unlikely event that they choose to recognize it, Serbs now have a clearer picture of how little the Russian energy agreement did to increase their energy security; as well as Serbia's role as Russia's Balkan pawn. End Comment. BRUSH