By introducing of petroleum products pipeline transportation (motor gasoline and diesel fuel) the remarkably higher reliability, economy, efficiency and continuity of supply is accomplished comparing to the other conventional types of transportation, especially regarding road transport which is predominant in our country. Ecological and accidental risks are thus being reduced to the minimum extent and by reducing the number of transshipments the losses will also be reduced. Thereby the highway traffic would be very much disburdened, the operational lifetime of traffic lanes and the overall infrastructure also extended. In words, the substitution of the road transport becomes the imperative!

With building of the Petroleum Products Pipeline System through Serbia in total length of approx. 400 km, main transport of motor fuels would be carried out in the following directions:

• Pancevo – Novi Sad – Sombor
• Pancevo – Beograd
• Pancevo – Smederevo – Jagodina – Nis

The route of the pipeline is planned (it will follow, where possible, the energy corridor, i.e. main natural gas pipeline and distribution system, as well as the existing oil pipeline) but since there is no plan basis for the implementation of this project (Spatial Plan for the Special Purpose Areas) it will be worked on its adoption parallel with preparation of the technical documentation.

Bigger watercourses (Danube River, Tisa, Velika and Juzna Morava, bigger channels) which are intersected by the route of petroleum products pipeline, will be crossed by the Horizontal Directional Drilling technique (laying of the pipeline under the river bed). With this technique the disturbance of natural watercourses’ conditions and the ecosystem in whole is avoided, while at the same time the risk of deluge in riverside areas much reduced.

Until now, the Prefeasibility Study with the General Design for the whole petroleum products pipeline system is prepared and in November 2007 evaluated positive by the Revision Commission of the Ministry for Infrastructure. The most favourable bidder for preparation of the Feasibility Study with the Preliminary Design and the Environmental Impact Assessment Study for Pancevo – Smederevo and Pancevo – Novi Sad route sections of the Petroleum Products Pipeline System through Serbia was recently selected in the public bidding procedure.
 

At the end of January 2009 the Memorandum of Understanding on Support of the Construction Project for Petroleum Products Pipeline System through Serbia was signed in Smederevo between the representatives of the Ministry of Environment and Spatial Planning, Ministry of Mining and Energy and the cities-signatories (Novi Sad, Pancevo, Smederevo, Nis, Jagodina, and Sombor) and JP “Transnafta”.

 

Basic information of the route sections of the Petroleum Products Pipeline System are the following:

Terminals for the dynamic system servicing will be built at each location of the listed route sections, accompanied with the appropriate storage facilities, i.e. next to the oil refineries in Novi Sad and Pancevo, besides the NIS storage tanks in Sombor, Smederevo and Nis, and finally in Jagodina besides the storage tank of LUKOIL. Each of the terminals (except the last one on the route) will be equipped with pumping stations for delivery of refined petroleum products to the next terminal in line.

Ord.nb.	T e r m i n a l	Estimated area (ha)
1.	Sombor	10
2.	Novi Sad	12
3.	Pancevo	12
4.	Smederevo	6
5.	Jagodina	15
6.	Nis	9

The system is designed for capacity of 4,35 mil tons of refined products in 2026. (out of which 3,35 mil tons is envisaged for domestic market and 1,0 mil tons for supplying of the markets in surrounding countries). The share of gasoline amounts 37% and the share of diesel is 63% of total motor fuels quantity.

Drafting of Spatial Development Strategy of the Republic of Serbia

Completion of drafting and revision of the General Construction Project of the Petroleum Products Pipeline System by which the formal and legal conditions for amendments to the Spatial Plan of the Republic of Serbia have met, were timely almost coincident (last quarter of 2007) with the initiative for drafting of the Spatial Development Strategy of the Republic of Serbia, according to the Law on Planning and Construction (“Official Journal of RS”, No 47/2003 and 34/2006).




Pursuant to Article 89, Paragraph 4 of the Law on Planning and Construction, the construction of the petroleum products pipeline system is, as a project of the state’s common interest, classified among the infrastructural facilities for which, under the same Law, article 19, paragraph 2, the Spatial Plan of the Special Purpose Areas is prepared and adopted.

Based on the mutual agreement the Ministry of Mining and Energy, Ministry for Infrastructure, Republic Agency for Spatial Planning as the state’s relevant institutions, together with JP “Transnafta” entered into preparations of the additional bases of the Spatial Plan. The Republic Agency for Spatial Planning has prepared, in cooperation with the Company, the Program for drafting of the SPATIAL PLAN OF THE SPECIAL PURPOSE AREAS OF THE PETROLEUM PRODUCTS PIPELINE SYSTEM THROUGH SERBIA (Sombor – Novi Sad – Pancevo - Beograd – Smederevo – Jagodina – Nis) (hereinafter referred to as: Spatial Plan).

Currently, this Program is in procedure of the interdepartmental adjustment of relevant Ministries, thereafter it will be forwarded to the Government of RS for making an appropriate decision on drafting of the Spatial Plan of the Special Purpose Areas, as soon as possible.

 

According to the Program for drafting of this plan document, the preliminary area of the Spatial Plan encompasses parts of 23 municipalities/cities, i.e. 139 cadastral municipalities with total length of 3.816,9 km².

The proposed pipeline route passes mostly through the areas defined as agricultural land intended to be used for crop farming and livestock breeding, while in the wider zone of the route several protected natural properties and stationary cultural properties are determined. Regarding environmental impact of the Petroleum Products Pipeline System, as the most sensitive areas are considered: the alluvial planes of rivers Danube, Tisa, Velika and Juzna Morava, however, because of no significant pollution in the regular working conditions, the risk level of pollution is evaluated as low.