BELGRADE, August 12. /TASS/. The first part of the 403-kilometer section of the TurkStream gas pipeline that will run through the Serbian territory has been completed, Radio-Television of Vojvodina reported on Monday.

The section stretches from the Bulgarian border to the city of Cuprija, the report reads. Currently construction works are underway at the second part from Cuprija to the Danube. Overall, the plan is to construct four sections. The gas pipeline is planned to be compelted by the year end.

Serbia had launched the construction at its section of the gas pipeline before the Bulgarian part was completed. On March 5, the country’s Energy Agency approved the construction of the Serbian section, the works were scheduled to begin in April. The project to construct a pipeline in Serbia running from the Bulgarian border to the border with Hungary is being implemented by a joint venture of Russia’s gas producer Gazprom and Srbijagas, Gastrans d.o.o. Novi Sad. The Serbian section of TurkStream will begin supplying natural gas before the end of April 2020.

The Serbian sector of TurkStream is intended to originate near the town of Zajecar near the Bulgarian border and cross the border with Hungary near the town of Horgos. Input capacity of the pipeline is expected to be around 13.88 mln cubic meters of gas per day, while its output capacity may total around 10 mln cubic meters.

The TurkStream project envisages the construction of a gas pipeline across the Black Sea to the European part of Turkey and farther to the border with Greece. Gas deliveries via the first stretch of the gas pipeline are meant to meet the requirements of the growing Turkish market, while the second stretch is planned to deliver gas to the countries of Southern and South-Eastern Europe. Gazprom considers Greece, Italy, Bulgaria, Serbia and Hungary as potential markets.

The 930 kilometers' long pipeline runs along the bottom of the Black Sea to the coast of Turkey. Further on, a 180 kilometers long land-based transit line will be laid up to the Turkish border with neighboring states. The capacity of each line is 15.75 billion cubic meters of gas per year. First gas supplies are scheduled for late 2019.