Serbia to send NIS oil from state reserves after pipeline accident
To ensure the operation of the country's only refinery, Serbia decided to use state oil reserves, as the damaged JANAF pipeline remains the only route for the supply of raw materials to the plant in Pančevo
The Serbian government has approved the transfer of up to 66,000 tonnes of crude oil from state reserves to NIS. The decision was made due to supply disruptions through the pipeline of the Croatian company JANAF, the damage of which threatens the operation of the refinery in Pančevo, according to a statement published on the government website.
The NIS itself asked to provide oil from state reserves, notifying the Ministry of Mining and Energy of problems with regular supplies of raw materials.
“The decision was made in order to ensure the continuous operation of the refinery in Panchevo and uninterrupted supply of the market, so that citizens do not feel the consequences of damage to this pipeline,” the government said in a statement.
NIS (Serbia Oil Industry) is engaged in the production and processing of oil and gas, owns the only refinery in Serbia, in Pančevo, with a capacity of about 4.8 million tons per year and a network of more than 400 filling stations. The company provides the country with motor fuel. Its importance for energy supply was manifested in December 2025, when the plant suspended work due to a shortage of oil amid US sanctions. In addition to Russia’s participation in the NIS, Serbia is linked to Russia by gas supplies via TurkStream and Bulgaria. In September, the supply agreements were extended until the end of 2026.
JANAF is the only pipeline route supplying oil to the NIS refinery in Pančevo. Its operator is the state-owned Croatian company JANAF.
The authorities noted that there are no alternative routes for supplying oil to the plant. Without supplies to JANAF, the refinery in Pančevo would not be able to continue its work.
The government also assured citizens that there is no need to create reserves of petroleum products.
The Adriatic Oil Pipeline (Adria) management company JANAF on November 9 suspended oil supplies to the refinery in Pančevo due to an accident at one of the pipeline sections.
We are talking about the Sisak-Slavonski-Brod section, damaged during repair work, which led to an oil leak. The effects of the damage have already been eliminated. According to Forbes Srbija, according to preliminary estimates, about 500 thousand liters of oil flowed from the pipeline.
NIS, which owns the Panchevo refinery, assured that it has sufficient reserves, and the accident has not yet affected the volume of oil refining at the enterprise.
Rehabilitation work is currently underway at the damaged site. JANAF did not say how long it would take or when oil transportation would resume.
