LNG

LNG importer Croatia is receiving European Commission aid to help the Balkan state that was formerly part of the former Yugoslavia to provide transmission system operators (TSOs) with balancing services.

The Commission approved, under EU State aid rules, a €19.8 million ($19.9M) Croatian aid measure in favour of energy storage operator IE-Energy, headquartered in Rijeka, Croatia.

The measure is aimed at helping IE-Energy to partially finance the procurement and the installation of grid-scale batteries to provide transmission system operators (TSOs) with balancing services.

“Furthermore, the measure contributes to the modernisation of Croatia's energy network, as well as to increasing the country's and the EU's energy security of supply,” added the Brussels-based European Union’s executive body.

LNG expansion

The grant comes as the Croatian Government is planning to invest €180M in a new gas pipeline section that would help double capacity at its LNG floating storage and regasification unit located off the Adriatic Sea island of Krk.

Croatia, which became a member of the EU in 2013, received its first LNG cargo in January 2021 at the FSRU, the “LNG Croatia”.

Under government plans, a €155M gas pipeline extension will connect Zlobin and Bosiljevo in northwest Croatia in about three years’ time when the FSRU’s capacity will be boosted to 6.1 billion cubic metres per annum of regasified LNG from the current 2.6 Bcm.

The Commission said its TSO grant for balancing would further contribute to the modernisation of Croatia's energy network, as well as to increasing the country's and the EU's energy security of supply.

“The aid was also is proportionate as it is limited to the minimum necessary, and that it will not have undue negative effects on competition and trade between member states,” it added.

Jan 6 (LNGJ) - The Bulgarian natural gas network firm, Bulgartransgaz, said Russian company Gazprom had started European gas deliveries via the new TurkStream pipeline to Turkey, providing more competition for LNG. The capacity flows are about 3 billion cubic metres of gas to Bulgaria via TurkStream, replacing a route that formerly passed through Ukraine and Romania.

   “Russian gas deliveries not only for us but also for Greece and North Macedonia are being carried through the new entry point,” said Bulgartransgaz Chief Executive Vladimir Malinov.

   Gazprom is building TurkStream in two pipelines, each with an annual capacity of 15.75 Bcm. The first pipeline is aimed at supplying Turkey and the second would run further from Bulgaria to Serbia and Hungary. The Bulgarians said they hoped to be able to make shipments to Serbia by May 2020 and complete the whole section by year-end.