Serbia has started tenders for a new gas interconnection with Romania, with construction planned from the beginning of next year. Mining and Energy Minister Dubravka Đedović Handanović said the design documentation for the Serbian part of the route is largely complete. The link is intended to open a fresh supply corridor into the country and to ease its dependence on existing entry points. The World Bank has backed the wider effort by approving a programme for the development of Serbia's gas sector. Roughly 150 kilometres of new gas pipelines fall under that programme. Contracts for the construction work will be awarded once the tender procedure picks the winning bidders. The minister expects physical works on Serbian territory to begin soon after the new year if approvals stay on schedule.