Speaker of the House of Peoples of the PABiH, Dr Dragan Čović, Visits LNG Terminal on the Island of Krk

The Speaker of the House of Peoples of the Parliamentary Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina (PABiH), Dr Dragan Čović, and Member of the House of Representatives of the PABiH, Darijana Filipović, together with the Speaker of the Croatian Parliament, Gordan Jandroković, visited the LNG terminal in Omišalj on the island of Krk.

The visit was dedicated to gaining insight into the operation of the LNG terminal and its role in the security of natural gas supply, particularly within the context of regional energy connectivity and the Southern Gas Interconnection project between Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Republic of Croatia. This project represents a vital alternative route for a more secure energy supply for BiH.

Alongside Speaker Čović, Representative Filipović, and Speaker Jandroković, the visit was attended by the Ambassador of the Republic of Croatia to Bosnia and Herzegovina, H.E. Ivan Sabolić; the Chair of the Committee on Croats Outside the Republic of Croatia, Zdravka Bušić; and Members of the Croatian Parliament, Nevenko Barbarić and Dario Pušić.

A presentation on the operation of the LNG terminal was delivered by the Director of LNG Hrvatska d.o.o., Ivan Fugaš, followed by a tour of LNG Croatia. The attendees were briefed on the operational workings of the terminal, and its captain, Josip Šatalić, spoke about how the ship operates.

Reflecting on the importance of the Southern Gas Interconnection project, Speaker Čović highlighted its strategic significance for Bosnia and Herzegovina.

"The Southern Gas Interconnection, and indeed the entire gasification project across BiH, is of strategic interest to Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is strategic not only in energy, infrastructural, and economic terms, but in every sense, above all from a security perspective," emphasized Dr Čović.

He also noted that the initial phases of the project have been completed, pointing to amendments to the relevant Law at the FBIH level, and added: "We have signed an agreement with the Republic of Croatia, and now we move to the next step. We must finalize this with the United States of America so that the full implementation of this strategic project can begin," stressed Dr Čović.

The Speaker of the Croatian Parliament, Gordan Jandroković, reflected on the importance of the LNG terminal for the Republic of Croatia and neighbouring countries.

"As far as Croatia is concerned, the LNG facility is one of our most important, if not the most important, energy infrastructure projects. It has positioned Croatia as a regional hub and a leader in supplying neighbouring countries. Consequently, beyond Croatia, gas is also supplied to Hungary and Slovenia, and work is underway to expand capacities so that these two states can receive additional gas supplies. Once the Southern Gas Interconnection is realized, Bosnia and Herzegovina will also become one of the buyers from this terminal," said Jandroković.

The Managing Director of LNG Hrvatska d.o.o., Ivan Fugaš, emphasized the regional role of the terminal and the importance of further capacity development for the energy security of Croatia and neighbouring countries.

"To manage the terminal effectively, you must maintain a certain amount of spare capacity at all times. This ensures that, in the event of vessel delays due to severe weather or other security circumstances, you can continue delivering gas to users and fulfilling contractual obligations," Fugaš explained.

Highlighting the demanding nature of the Southern Gas Interconnection endeavor, Speaker Čović concluded: "I believe it will certainly take us four to five years, although some think it will be much shorter. We will work on two tracks simultaneously—the infrastructure, namely the gasification process, and the consumption side, in order to secure better energy sources that we have not had access to until now." (Press release from the Office of the Speaker of the House of Peoples, Dr Dragan Čović)