21 of 68 Kilometres of the Gas Pipeline to Greece Were Laid, While the Serbia Link Is Expected by the First Quarter of 2028

North Macedonia is building two gas links: with Greece in the south and with Serbia in the north. Energy Minister Sanja Bozhinovska, as carried by Lokalno.mk on October 6, expects the link with Greece to be ready by mid-2027, while for Serbia the first quarter of 2028 is mentioned. The deadline has shifted over the years, so we put together the chronology from public sources.

December 2025. Serbian Energy Minister Dubravka Djedovic Handanovic said the Serbia–North Macedonia link would be completed by the end of 2027, according to Tanjug.

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March 2026. The Serbian portal SEE Energy Mining News, citing recent government statements, reported that the pipeline is expected at the beginning of 2028, which it described as a slight delay. The capacity is about 1.5 billion cubic metres a year.

Earlier: the Greek section. In October 2024 Argus Media reported that the Macedonian section is 67 kilometres long, between Gevgelija and Negotino, with a capacity of 1.8 billion cubic metres a year. The original plan of the Greek operator envisaged start-up in December 2025, while Argus estimated it would be around October 2027, or 22 months later. The tender for the Macedonian part was about €84 million and the metering station of the Greek operator about €16 million.

May 2025. The €83.7 million contract for the 68-kilometre section went to the domestic company Rapid Build and was signed by the state company Nomagas, as carried by Pagenews. The deadline is 34 months from signing. Financing is through loans from the EIB and EBRD and an investment grant from the Western Balkans Investment Framework.

July 10, 2026. The Ministry of Energy said expropriation is 95 percent complete and route clearing almost 85 percent. All pipes are produced, of which 34 kilometres are delivered. 21 kilometres of pipe are laid, 13.7 kilometres are welded (more than 800 successful welds) and more than 6,300 metres are underground. Six of seven planned underpasses are done, and accompanying block stations are secured at almost 65 percent. According to the ministry, the contractor is upgrading its equipment with automatic welding machines to speed up. The goal is completion within one year.

What that is in percent. With 21 kilometres laid out of 68, as of July, about 31 percent of the pipeline is laid (our calculation), and half of the pipes are delivered. Since July we have not found new public figures on laid kilometres.

The contract deadline. If the 34 months are counted from the signing in May 2025, the deadline expires around March 2028 (our calculation). The government talks about mid-2027, i.e. several months earlier. Nothing in the public sources shows that a shorter deadline has been agreed.

The Serbian side. According to Lokalno.mk of October 6, the pipeline is 145 kilometres long, and the first 5-kilometre section is near Vranjska Banja. The laying of the first pipes was announced for mid-October, and pipes for 15 kilometres are expected by the end of October. The original target for completion is the first quarter of 2028, and it depends on expropriation led by Srbijagas.

What is unclear. The total cost of the two links, the testing date and the gas purchase contract that would flow through them have not been published. Without them, the pipes are only infrastructure, not a new source of gas.

What to follow. The next report on laid kilometres on the section to Greece, the delivery of pipes near Vranjska Banja and whether Serbian expropriation is completed on time.

MKNews Hub · Macedonia · November 2, 2026