Montenegro eyes LNG imports

Montenegrin power firm EPCG has signed a memorandum of understanding with Singapore-based LNG Alliance on the construction of gas-fired power plants in the Balkan state that would run on imported LNG.

Under the agreement, the pair will undertake a feasibility study on building stations in Bar and Podgorica. These stations would be linked to a potential LNG terminal in Bar that LNG Alliance will take responsibility for building.

"We invest into new sustainable projects and develop partnership for a greener future," EPCG and LNG Alliance said in a joint statement on January 2. "We are aspiring to create clean, affordable and reliable energy security in Montenegro!"

Neither company disclosed a timeframe for the study, and nor did they say when a investment decision on  the project might be taken.

Montenegro relies mainly on coal and hydroelectric dams to generate its power. The Balkan country voiced interest in constructing an LNG terminal in February 2020, when officials from the Trump administration visited Bar to discuss the possible supply of US LNG to the port.

Montenegro lacks any gas infrastructure, although in addition to a LNG terminal, there is a preliminary plan to run a pipeline through the country that would provide it with access to Azeri gas arriving in Europe via the Southern Gas Corridor to the south and LNG imports being brought ashore at a terminal in Croatia to the north.