Albania and Argent LNG take the first step toward building a new liquefied natural gas terminal for the Western Balkan markets

The U.S. company Argent LNG and the Albanian government are exploring the possibility of building a large liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal on the Albanian coast, BalkanEngineer.com learned from the Albanian Daily News. The two parties have signed a memorandum of understanding that marks the start of a joint assessment of the project, which is intended to serve the markets of the Western Balkans and Southeast Europe.

The planned facility will be an onshore terminal for the storage and regasification of LNG with a capacity of up to approximately 5 million metric tons per year. The idea is for liquefied natural gas delivered by sea to be stored on the Albanian coast, then regasified and fed into the regional gas transmission infrastructure. Among the options being considered is connecting the future terminal to the Trans-Adriatic Pipeline (TAP), the planned Ionian-Adriatic Pipeline (IAP), and the Fier–Vlorë gas corridor. The next step will be to establish a joint working group to study potential sites for the terminal, the technical feasibility of connecting it to the gas infrastructure, and the financing structure.

The project in Albania is part of Argent LNG’s broader plans to develop supplies of U.S. liquefied natural gas to European markets. In recent months, Argent LNG has also signed memorandums of cooperation with Ukraine’s Naftogaz and Romania’s gas transmission operator Transgaz.

At this stage, no investment amount, specific site, or timeline for the start of construction of the terminal in Albania has been announced. The signed memorandum is non-binding, and specific commitments regarding supply, financing, and construction of the facility are to be the subject of subsequent agreements.

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