A new oil pipeline is to be constructed between Hungary and Serbia, with the feasibility study having already been completed. This means that the project could be finished by 2028, Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó announced in Belgrade on Wednesday. As part of this 130 billion forint investment, Mol will expand the capacity of the pipeline connecting the Ukrainian-Hungarian border with Százhalombatta (where MOL's oil refinery is located) and starting from there, a completely new 190-kilometre-long pipeline will be built to the Serbian border.
Szijjártó said that "the start of the physical construction can be expected by the end of this year or early next year, which will result in a fully operational new oil pipeline between the two countries by 2028." According to the Foreign Minister, the new pipeline will have a capacity of around 4.5 million tonnes per year, which will allow for the supply of oil to the Pančova refinery and Serbia via Hungary.
According to Szijjártó, the construction of a new pipeline is warranted because "not all countries are reliable transit countries, and some of them have failed badly on the test called solidarity." He did not specify which countries he was referring to.
According to the Hungarian State News Agency, MTI, in his announcement on the new oil pipeline, the Foreign Minister also said that the war in Ukraine had created serious challenges for the energy security of Central Europe as a whole, but that so far, despite all the difficulties, it has been possible to guarantee a stable supply.
According to the ministry's statement, the announcement on the investment was made after talks with Serbian Minister of Energy Dubravka Djedović Handanović.
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