Photo: Government of Montenegro/Flickr
The construction of a liquefied natural gas terminal and the Ionian Adriatic Pipeline are strategic projects for the new Ministry of Mining, Oil and Gas, according to minister Admir Šahmanović.
The Ionian Adriatic Pipeline (IAP) would increase energy security and bring economic and geopolitical benefits, Admir Šahmanović said. With the pipeline, Montenegro would diversify energy sources and utilize potential natural gas reserves in the offshore perimeter, he told Pobjeda.
The IAP project aims to connect Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Montenegro with the Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) in Albania.
According to the minister, the endeavor would enhance the stability and security of energy supply, particularly at times of disruption in the market and political tensions. Jobs would be created for the construction and the operation of the pipeline, Šahmanović stressed.
Šahmanović: The pipeline would reduce the use of coal, gasoline and diesel
He stressed that the reduction of energy costs could draw new investors.
The pipeline would connect Montenegro with markets in the region and beyond, boosting regional cooperation in the energy sector, Šahmanović explained.
The project could improve the integration of the Western Balkans with the European Union and increase the geopolitical relevance of Montenegro as a transit country in the regional energy corridor, in his words. The pipeline would also contribute to lowering the use of fossil fuels: coal, gasoline and diesel, the minister stressed.
Šahmanović said the ministry is planning to revive the idea of establishing a regional company with a task to prepare project documentation and secure financing.
An LNG terminal enables the construction of a gas power plant
One of the strategic projects is to create conditions to build a terminal for liquefied natural gas (LNG) in the Bar port, he asserted. It would improve energy security, the economy, environmental protection and regional cooperation in the long term, Šahmanović explained.
The minister expressed the belief that the terminal would enable Montenegro to access the global LNG market. In addition, Bar could become a regional hub for the distribution of the fuel to the countries of the Western Balkans and beyond, he underlined.
The terminal would provide additional revenues from LNG transit, storage and transport, improving significantly the operation of the port as well as of railway firms and increasing the geopolitical importance of Montenegro, the minister pointed out.
Moreover, it would make it possible to develop the project for a gas power plant that could replace the Pljevlja thermal power plant, Šahmanović said.
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