TIRANA, Feb. 6 – The United States of America is exploring the possibility of the application of Liquified Natural Gas in Central and Eastern Europe, which Albania may also become a part of. During the Conference ‘On Liquid Gas Technology’ held on Wednesday, the US Ambassador in Tirana, Yuri Kim discussed the opportunities for Albanian citizens to have cheaper access, cleaner fuel and more sustainable power in their homes through the LNG.
“If we can develop the relevant infrastructure, Albania could become a regional hub of LNG and this would bring benefits to the Albanian economy. We would be pleased to see Albania as a leader in the region,” said the U.S. Ambassador.
The seminar was also attended by the Albanian Minister of Infrastructure and Energy, Belinda Balluku and Assistant Secretary for Fossil Energy at the US Department of Energy, Steven Winberg, as well Heads of Institutions and US experts in the field of liquefied gas.
In her speech, Minister Balluku expressed confidence that liquefied natural gas can bring numerous direct benefits to users in terms of cost and efficiency.
“This inter-institutional and comprehensive meeting is important for Albania for two specific reasons: First, this cooperation will further strengthen the already consolidated strategic partnership between Albania and the United States of America, and secondly, because it studies the potential of the establishment of small scale liquefied natural gas in the Albanian market, which is an excellent opportunity for us,” said Balluku.
Later on, Steven Winberg added during an interview with RTSH and Monitor, that there is potential for Albania to become an energy hub. “Albania is blessed with a lot of hydropower, but in times of drought, like the one you just went through, you have to import energy and here’s the opportunity to generate your own energy using very clean natural gas. The most efficient US technology in the world can be brought to the region using LNG,” he said.
