The US has granted a temporary license to Serbian oil company NIS, controlled by Russian companies and targeted by US sanctions, which will allow it to resume production by January 23, Serbian Energy Minister Dubravka Djedovic Handanovic announced on Wednesday, according to AFP.

“NIS has obtained a license from the US Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), which will allow it to continue its activities until January 23. This means that the Pancevo refinery will be able to resume operations after 36 days,” the Serbian minister said on Instagram, according to Agerpres.

After nine months of successive postponements, Washington imposed sanctions on NIS, 56% controlled by Russian companies Gazprom Neft and Intelligence, on October 9. Its refinery in Pancevo, near Belgrade, which supplies 80% of the Serbian market, was forced to halt production in early December.