“By the end of next year the situation will be such as to allow the opportunity to ship natural gas from Croatia to Hungary, and accordingly the two governments will be turning to the European Commission in the interests of enabling the determination of fixed shipment tariffs in the event of a future agreement”, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó said at a press conference in Budapest on Tuesday following a meeting with Croatian Minister of Environment and Energy Tomislav Ćorić.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade highlighted the fact that it is in Hungary’s interests to have as many alternative sources of natural gas available in the period following 2020, which the currently valid long-term gas purchasing agreement with Russia expires.
“Two alternative sources seem realistic compared to those currently available: one is natural gas to be extracted by Exxon Mobile and OMV Petrol from under the Black Sea on Romanian waters, while the other is for Hungary to purchase gas from the LNG (liquid natural gas) terminal being constructed on the island of Krk in Croatia”, he said, adding that the 2.6 billion cubic metre capacity LNG terminal could be an important new source from the perspective of Hungary’s gas supply, enabling the shipment of 1.7 billion cubic metres of gas to Hungary each year.
The Minister stressed that the country’s natural gas supply is an issue of economic strategy, national strategy and national security. “Accordingly, it is in Hungary’s interests to have several sources available, for the LNG terminal on Krk to be completed, and for Hungarian trading and gas industry companies to be able to purchase from there”, Mr. Szijjártó told the press.
Tomislav Ćorić told reporters that the LNG terminal is a strategically important project for Croatia and will contribute to the region’s energy diversification. Capacity exceeds Croatian requirements, meaning it will enable countries north of Croatia, including Hungary, to meet their own demand from alternative sources, he explained. He stressed that the realisation of the project is also in the interests of the European Union, and accordingly the European Commission is providing 100 million euros in funding towards its completion. The Croatian Minister of Environment and Energy said it is most welcome that the Hungarian party has an interest in the future securing of the Krk LNG terminal’s capacities.
(MTI)
