Plenković: Completion of Zabok-Lučko gas pipeline strengthens energy security

The completion of the €80 million Zabok-Lučko main gas pipeline was celebrated on Monday in Zabok.

The Zabok-Lučko gas pipeline was built as part of the project "Supporting Infrastructure for the Strategic Investment Project LNG Terminal" and was financed with grants from the Recovery and Resilience Mechanism. Its commissioning will increase transport capacities towards Slovenia and strengthen the connection of the Croatian gas system with the European network.

Prime Minister Andrej Plenković said at the ceremony that this project, together with the continued expansion of gas infrastructure, will further strengthen Croatia's energy security and its role as a regional transport hub.

He said that with the construction of the LNG terminal on Krk and the supporting infrastructure, Croatia has become a relevant factor in the European gas market and that, in order to fully utilize the new capacities, it was necessary to expand the national transport system.

“With these decisions, Croatia has become relevant in terms of European gas. In order to fully utilize this new opportunity, it was necessary to expand our gas transport system and make existing pipes larger and build completely new ones,” he said.

He added that with the completion of the Bosiljevo - Sisak and Sisak - Kozarac gas pipelines, the transport capacity towards Slovenia will reach 1.5 billion and towards Hungary 3.5 billion cubic meters of gas per year.

Speaking about investments from the National Recovery and Resilience Plan, Plenković pointed out that more than 530 million euros from the REPowerEU instrument have been directed towards Plinacro for the development of gas infrastructure and strengthening security of supply.

Plinacro's CEO Ivica Arar said that the Zabok - Lučko gas pipeline is one of the most important and technically complex projects of the Croatian gas transport system and that it was implemented within the planned deadlines and within the foreseen financial framework.

He said that the new gas pipeline increased the flexibility of managing transport capacities and enabled the growth of gas transport to Slovenia from the current 260 to 876 million cubic meters per year.

He also pointed out that almost the entire route is located within the existing corridor of main gas pipelines, which minimizes the impact on the environment.

According to him, since its establishment in 2001, Plinacro has built key main and regional gas pipelines and strengthened international interconnections, including the connection with Hungary and the connection of the LNG terminal on Krk, which further increased the security of supply to Croatia and the wider region.

Source: HRT