Ćorić: Slovenia Very Interested in Gas from the LNG Terminal on Krk

Slovenia is very interested in gas from the LNG terminal on Krk, which has secured an additional capacity of 300 million cubic meters of natural gas for which a tender will be announced, it was stated on Monday after a meeting between the Minister of Economy Tomislav Ćorić and the Slovenian Minister of Infrastructure Jerneja Vrtovca.

Vrtovec stated that Slovenia is considering diversifying its gas supply to avoid dependence on supply from a single country, namely Russia. He emphasized that the LNG terminal will increase capacity and announce a tender for 300 million cubic meters of gas and that Slovenia is very interested in being part of that agreement.

The infrastructure for this gas is established and does not require new upgrades for that quantity, Vrtovec said, highlighting that Slovenia would obtain almost one-third of its required gas through the LNG terminal in Omišalj. When asked if Slovenia is interested in building another reactor at the Krško nuclear power plant and whether Croatia would be involved, he said that Slovenia is very interested in this and that discussions will take place.

Minister Ćorić stated that the terminal’s capacity of 2.6 billion cubic meters of gas per year is booked until 2027, but that the capacity has been increased to 2.9 billion without additional investments. He confirmed that a tender will be announced for the lease of these additional quantities. The capacity can still be increased after the increase to 2.9 billion, but with additional infrastructure work by the operator Plinacro on the main gas pipeline, and this scenario is currently being analyzed, Ćorić said.

He emphasized that the terminal was built to provide Croatia and European countries with an alternative supply route and expressed pleasure if Slovenia, or the Slovenian Geoplin, would receive 250 to 300 million cubic meters of gas per year. Ćorić stated that the tender will be open, that Geoplin has an interest, and that no interest from other parties is expected, given that the gas pipeline to Hungary is fully utilizing its capacity.

Currently, we can deliver 1.7 billion cubic meters of gas to Hungary with the existing capacity, and Croatia is more or less fulfilling its capacities, so this additional capacity and gas have a nice potential to go precisely to Slovenia, he said. Ćorić emphasized that the largest part of the gas that arrives at the terminal remains in Croatia.

– Our market, the residential and business sector, has gained a secure alternative gas supply with the construction of this terminal – concluded Ćorić, evaluating the cooperation between Croatia and Slovenia in energy as ‘more than good’, striving for excellent.

He reported that the formation of a group at the level of the ministries of energy has been agreed upon, which will deal with key issues, primarily related to LNG, energy infrastructure, and the Krško nuclear power plant.

Nuclear Energy Yes, But Not Production in Croatia

Ćorić stated that Croatia has nothing against the production of electricity from nuclear energy, but not in Croatia. Along with the existing facility in Krško, if Slovenia proceeds with the construction of a second block, Croatia is interested in this stable source of electricity to further meet Croatian needs, he said.

Regarding electricity, Croatia will, as he said, increase production from renewable sources. 

Fuel Prices Should Decrease

When asked about changes in fuel prices starting tomorrow, Ćorić said that ‘diesels will go down by 80 lipa, and gasoline by 36 or 37 lipa.’ He stated that, as things stand today, we will probably see further decreases, but it cannot be said with certainty how prices will move.

When asked whether and how the state will assist Brodosplit, he said that it depends on discussions between that company and HBOR. Croatia has supported shipbuilding and Brodosplit at one point with huge funds invested in restructuring, and the continuation of shipbuilding, regardless of which shipyard it is, requires full order books and profitable operations, he said.