Slovenia Planning Rival LNG Terminal

Total Croatia News

The terminal in Koper could compete with Croatia’s terminal on Krk.

Given that Croatia cannot compete with major European countries with the size of its market or the budget, the chance for long-term political success lies in positioning itself as an energy hub of Europe. The precondition for this is the construction of the LNG terminal on the island of Krk. However, it seems that Croatia is about to get competition from Slovenia, reports Večernji List on 10 July 2017.

The LNG terminal on the island of Krk is likely to be built because the project has received support from the European Commission, has political backing from the United States and is among the top projects of the Three Seas Initiative. However, the mere completion of the LNG terminal will not mean that Croatia will have achieved its ultimate goal.

Slovenia has also realised that LNG represents an opportunity and it has expressed interest in the construction of a terminal at the port of Kopar. The resurrection of the Slovenian project that has almost been forgotten in the last few years is quite interesting. The United States backs the Croatian LNG terminal, which has been recently confirmed by President Donald Trump in Warsaw when he added that his administration was even ready to consider the co-financing the project.

On the other hand, according to unofficial sources, the LNG terminal in Kopar allegedly has the support of Germany and Russia. Therefore, experts agree that it is crucial to finish the Croatian terminal on the island of Krk within agreed deadlines, no later than 2019, which must include all the necessary land infrastructure as well. A two-way gas pipeline from Croatia to Poland is crucial in this context, and the signing of the contracts with Hungarian and Polish gas operators means that the infrastructure necessary for the LNG terminal could really be completed in time.

Vice-President of the European Commission Maroš Šefčovič said recently in Budapest that the floating LNG terminal on Krk “is an essential southern source of energy for Europe.”

In addition to declarative support, the LNG project on Krk has also received financial support from the European Union, which has agreed to finance it with 102 million euros in grants. But, the twice as large amount still needs to be found for the project to be implemented in full.

 

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