DUBROVNIK, Bosnia-Herzegovina — Two Balkan nations took a major step toward energy independence Tuesday when Croatia and Bosnia finalized an agreement to construct a natural gas pipeline aimed at breaking their dependence on Russian energy sources.
The project, known as the Southern Interconnection pipeline, will connect Bosnia to Croatia’s existing gas infrastructure and a liquefied natural gas facility located on Krk island in the Adriatic Sea. Bosnia has selected AAFS Infrastructure and Energy, a company based in the United States, to serve as the investor and developer for this initiative.
The agreement was formalized by Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic and Borjana Kristo, who chairs Bosnia’s Council of Ministers, with U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright witnessing the ceremony. The signing took place during a regional summit involving countries from the Baltic, Black Sea, and Adriatic areas.
Writing on social media, Plenkovic emphasized the pipeline’s role in supply diversification, stating: “We are strengthening energy security and independence … which is especially important in these challenging global circumstances.”
Kristo described the occasion as “a big day for both countries.”
Currently, Bosnia relies almost entirely on Russian gas imports that flow through pipelines crossing neighboring Serbia and Bulgaria via the TurkStream corridor.
According to reports from regional media outlets, the pipeline project could require investments totaling $1.5 billion.
The American delegation also featured Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Allison Hooker, who addressed a panel discussion by explaining how the United States can assist efforts to “reduce energy dependency on Russia and to spur economic growth” throughout the region.
In a related development, investment firm Pantheon Atlas LLC revealed plans to build a massive 50 billion-euro ($58 billion) artificial intelligence data center and innovation facility in Croatia. The company signed a letter of intent with Croatia’s Koncar Group to serve as their local partner.
