The House of Representatives already held an extraordinary session on April 8 regarding this matter, with a majority of representatives, 79 of them, supporting the law in a secret electronic vote, two were against, and one abstained.
During the previous debate, only the Party for Bosnia and Herzegovina (SBiH) had declaratively announced that it would withhold support, problematizing the questionable nature of some provisions, primarily because the proposers abandoned the concept of having the state company BH Gas be the investment holder, as stated, to cede that role to a private firm without significant experience. In contrast to SBiH, the larger parties announced their support during the discussions, citing the overall importance of the Southern Interconnection project as an argument, although some of them also had remarks or doubts regarding certain provisions, seeking clarification.
Federal Minister of Energy, Mining, and Industry Vedran Lakić, while explaining the law to the representatives at the time, stated first that the route of the future gas pipeline in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (FBiH) remained as in the existing plan, and that the newly proposed act planned for certain gas branches, as well as a new direction from Kladanj towards Tuzla, which, according to his words, will begin the gasification in the industrial part of the Federation and bring it closer to the Tuzla Thermal Power Plant.
"The name of the investor, an American company, has also been entered into the text of the newly proposed act. In the current legislation, the domestic company BH Gas was in the role of investor and gas transporter; however, on the ground, the implementation of the Southern Interconnection project has not yet occurred, and this is an urgent need," stated Lakić.
On the other hand, he noted, the European Union has announced the cessation of Russian gas supplies from January 1, 2028.
According to Lakić's words, the proposer of the new law started from the fact that new partners expressed in a Letter of Intent and financial readiness for the construction of the gas pipeline, which is also in the interest of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The newly proposed act envisages the conclusion of a contract between the Government of FBiH and the investor, so the Ministry has begun defining the basic postulates of the future contract, taking into account the protection of the interests of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Lakić also emphasized that the company BH Gas does not stop its work with this law and that the construction of the western and northern directions of the gas pipeline awaits it, thus it remains a transporter in the existing gas system and continues to develop. According to his words, the newly proposed direction towards Tuzla practically marks the beginning of northern gasification.
The full name of the newly proposed act is the Proposal of the Law on Amendments and Supplements to the Law on the Gas Pipeline "Southern Gas Interconnection Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Republic of Croatia." In the form of amendments and supplements to the current legislation, it was proposed to the Parliament by the Federal Government, requesting consideration under an urgent procedure, which the House of Representatives has already done.
"The investor will realize the gas pipeline construction project by building the interconnection transport gas pipeline in Bosnia and Herzegovina on the route Tomislavgrad - Šuica - Kupres - Bugojno - Novi Travnik/Travnik and the route Posušje - Grude - Široki Brijeg - Mostar, by building the branch for Livno, Gornji Vakuf - Uskoplje, Donji Vakuf, Jajce, and the branch Čapljina, and by building the additional route Kladanj - Tuzla," among other things, is stated in the text.
It has been known for some time that the liquefied natural gas route from the West will lead into Bosnia and Herzegovina, i.e., into the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina from the south, via the Republic of Croatia, with which an appropriate agreement also needs to be reached, as well as a contract between the Government of FBiH and the defined project investor.
The Government adopted on January 14 of this year the information from the Ministry of Energy, Mining, and Industry, which specified the investor and the need to initiate the project's realization, while the Proposal of the Law was established at the session of the Government of FBiH on March 25.
Through amendments to the current legislation, the investor is also listed in the text, the company AAFS Infrastructure and Energy d.o.o., registered in Sarajevo, wholly owned by the American company AAFS Infrastructure and Energy LLC.
It is also stated that this company previously sent a Letter of Intent and an offer for the realization of the gas pipeline construction project "Southern Interconnection Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Republic of Croatia." The Letter of Intent and offer from AAFS confirm a serious interest in investing in this strategic project, whose goal is to further enhance the energy security of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and enable the attraction of foreign investments while diversifying gas supply sources, also stated the Government of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
For this, as well as any other federal law to come into force, it is necessary that both houses of the Parliament of FBiH approve it in identical text.
After the already expressed support of the House of Representatives, the outcome of the vote in the House of Peoples should be known at the announced session today.