"The construction works on the interconnection will last for a year and a half. At the beginning of 2023, Serbia will be connected to Bulgaria through the Nis-Dimitrovgrad-Sofia interconnector, allowing us to import gas from another source," Mihajlović said.

The tender for the construction of the Serbian section of the interconnector between Nis and Dimitrovgrad will be launched next week and works are expected to start in the summer of 2021, the minister said. Total investment of the Nis-Dimitrovgrad gas pipeline will amount to EUR 85.5 million (USD 104 million), to be provided from the pre-accession funds of the European Union and a loan from the European Investment Bank (EIB), Serbia's government said last week.