Feb 20, 2026
Serbia has postponed the bidding deadline for the oil pipeline tender in Hungary.
Serbian state-owned oil pipeline operator Transnafta announced the extension of the bidding deadline for a tender related to the construction and oversight of the 113-km section of the oil pipeline linking Serbia to Hungary to February 26.
The extension follows updates to the tender documents intended to rectify inaccuracies, as stated in notifications released on Serbia's public procurement platform earlier this month.
The original deadline for submitting bids was set for February 5.
The project involves constructing an oil pipeline that will run from Horgos, near the Hungarian border, to Transnafta's oil terminal in Novi Sad. This pipeline is designed to have an annual capacity of approximately 5.5 million tonnes of oil and will ultimately stretch over 300 km to connect Novi Sad with the Druzhba pipeline's reception station in Szazhalombatta, Hungary.
When the tender was announced in December, Transnafta did not reveal its value. However, Serbia's energy minister, Dubravka Djedovic Handanovic, previously indicated that the investment is estimated to be around 150 million euros ($176.6 million).
Transnafta plans to finance the project through a bank loan, which will be supported by a state guarantee, and the initiation of construction is contingent upon securing the loan and obtaining a building permit.
In June 2023, Serbia and Hungary signed an agreement to construct the pipeline. In July 2025, Transnafta and MOL finalized the technical specifications for the pipeline. Both Djedovic Handanovic and Hungary's foreign affairs and trade minister, Peter Szijjarto, expressed expectations for the project's completion by the end of 2027.
The pipeline is anticipated to enhance Serbia's energy infrastructure and diversify its crude oil supply routes, as Serbia currently only receives crude oil through the Janaf pipeline from Croatia.
The extension follows updates to the tender documents intended to rectify inaccuracies, as stated in notifications released on Serbia's public procurement platform earlier this month.
The original deadline for submitting bids was set for February 5.
The project involves constructing an oil pipeline that will run from Horgos, near the Hungarian border, to Transnafta's oil terminal in Novi Sad. This pipeline is designed to have an annual capacity of approximately 5.5 million tonnes of oil and will ultimately stretch over 300 km to connect Novi Sad with the Druzhba pipeline's reception station in Szazhalombatta, Hungary.
When the tender was announced in December, Transnafta did not reveal its value. However, Serbia's energy minister, Dubravka Djedovic Handanovic, previously indicated that the investment is estimated to be around 150 million euros ($176.6 million).
Transnafta plans to finance the project through a bank loan, which will be supported by a state guarantee, and the initiation of construction is contingent upon securing the loan and obtaining a building permit.
In June 2023, Serbia and Hungary signed an agreement to construct the pipeline. In July 2025, Transnafta and MOL finalized the technical specifications for the pipeline. Both Djedovic Handanovic and Hungary's foreign affairs and trade minister, Peter Szijjarto, expressed expectations for the project's completion by the end of 2027.
The pipeline is anticipated to enhance Serbia's energy infrastructure and diversify its crude oil supply routes, as Serbia currently only receives crude oil through the Janaf pipeline from Croatia.