The Russian owners of the Brod oil refinery in northern Bosnia said on Tuesday they had begun the construction of a gas network within the plant, which has been out of operation since October 2018 and running up debts for years.

The Zarubezhneft company, which owns the oil refinery, informed the Republika Srpska Minister of Spatial Planning and Environment, Srebrenka Golic, that it was continuing the overhaul of the plant, adding that work had begun on a gas network within the plant to ensure the use of natural gas in oil refining, which should reduce hazardous emissions.

Republika Srpska covers nearly one half of Bosnia's territory and it is one of the country's two semi-autonomous regions. The other is Federation (FBiH).

Air pollution caused by the Brod plant has for years been affecting the health of residents of Slavonski Brod, a town across the Sava river border in Croatia.

The refinery ceased operating in October 2018 following a fire and an explosion inside the complex. A statement issued after the meeting on Tuesday said that the works within the refinery would be completed soon, adding that gas supply was expected to be established in the third quarter of 2020.