June 15, 2018 [Reuters] - Croatia passed a law on Thursday to enable the construction of a liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal, part of a European Union drive to diversify away from Russian gas imports.
The terminal, which will be built on the island of Krk in the northern Adriatic Sea, will be partly funded by the EU but has been criticised by environmental groups and local councils.
Environmentalists said ahead of the vote that they would stage fresh protests and may ask the Constitutional Court to rule if the law is in line with the constitution.
The project will be built in two stages, involving a floating terminal followed by an onshore facility.
The head of the company behind the project, LNG Hrvatska, recently said the cost of the floating terminal had been cut by 90 million euros ($105 million) to 250 million euros and its capacity scaled down to ensure its profitability.
The EU has said it would provide 101.4 million euros, while the remainder will be financed from equity and loans.
The law, which the government said was designed to help untangle property issues and other factors, was supported by 77 lawmakers in the 151 seat-parliament.
The terminal would supply gas to countries in eastern and central Europe, regions heavily dependent on Russian gas.
—————————-
TankTerminals.com – Research, Market and Expand Your Presence within the Tank Storage Industry
Learn more.
