Vertical Corridor expands to include Serbia and North Macedonia

Vertical Corridor natural gas infrastructure energy security Balkan energy connectivity LNG transportation

Serbia and North Macedonia are officially joining the Vertical Corridor initiative, a major natural gas transportation project aimed at enhancing energy security and connectivity across Southeast and Central Europe. The expansion was formalized through a Memorandum of Understanding signed in Thessaloniki during the 10th Southeast Europe Energy Forum.

The initiative, which now includes seven participating countries, creates a new gas transportation axis from Greece through North Macedonia and Serbia. This route is designed to provide landlocked markets in the Western Balkans and Central Europe, such as Hungary and Austria, with improved access to natural gas, including American LNG arriving via the Alexandroupolis terminal in Greece.

Infrastructure development is already underway to support this corridor. The Greece–North Macedonia interconnector is currently under construction and is targeted for commercial operation by the end of 2027. Additionally, the North Macedonia–Serbia pipeline segment, contracted to Rapid Build, is expected to be completed by the end of 2028. These projects aim to diversify energy supply routes and reduce regional dependence on traditional sources.

Entities

Alexandroupolis · Alexandroupolis FSRU · Gastrade · Greece · Joshua Volz · Nikos Tsafos · North Macedonia · Rapid Build · Sanja Božinovska · Sanya Bozhinovska · Serbia · Stavros Papastavrou

Claims

What the coverage asserts, and how many sources carry each claim.

[● 3 SOURCES] The Vertical Corridor initiative now includes seven official participating countries. www.powergame.gr · www.insider.gr · www.iefimerida.gr
[● 2 SOURCES] The expansion aims to provide access to American LNG for the Western Balkans and Central Europe. www.iefimerida.gr · www.powergame.gr
[● 3 SOURCES] The Greece–North Macedonia interconnector is expected to be operational by the end of 2027. kosovoenergy.com · www.newmoney.gr · en.protothema.gr
[● 7 SOURCES] A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) is being signed in Thessaloniki to expand the Vertical Corridor. www.insider.gr · www.iefimerida.gr · www.powergame.gr · www.newmoney.gr · biznisvesti.mk · +2 more
[● 8 SOURCES] North Macedonia and Serbia are joining the Vertical Corridor initiative. www.insider.gr · www.ot.gr · www.iefimerida.gr · www.powergame.gr · www.newmoney.gr · +3 more
[○ 1 SOURCE] The Greek segment of the interconnector with Serbia is valued at 29.4 million euros. kosovoenergy.com
[● 3 SOURCES] The North Macedonia–Serbia pipeline project is expected to be completed by the end of 2028. kosovoenergy.com · www.newmoney.gr · en.protothema.gr
[● 2 SOURCES] Rapid Build is the contractor for the North Macedonia–Serbia pipeline segment. www.newmoney.gr · en.protothema.gr