US Gas Floods Europe as Croatia Terminal Becomes Strategic Hub
As Europe reduces its reliance on Russian energy following the invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the United States is emerging as the largest gas supplier to the continent. The US is seeking to push Russia out of the regional energy market completely.
The Croatian Adriatic gas terminal has become a key site for this effort, with a recent upgrade allowing it to handle nearly 6.1 billion cubic meters of gas, or around 2% of the EU's annual gas consumption. Connecting pipelines link the terminal to Hungary, enabling US gas to flow into Central Europe.
Energy analyst Ivan Brodic notes that the terminal's future could be much larger as the United States seeks to increase its presence in the regional energy market. The US is already the EU's largest source of liquefied natural gas (LNG) and is forecast to overtake Norway as the bloc's largest natural gas supplier by 2026.
The US-backed pipeline between Bosnia and Croatia would link Bosnia to Krk and connect it to Europe's gas network, potentially offering the cheapest gas for postwar Ukraine. The U.S.-backed Trump Peace Pipelines Framework aims to expand energy infrastructure across Central and Eastern Europe, making Croatia a major transit point for fuel imports.