Albania’s proposed 5 million tonne-per-year LNG terminal could redraw gas flows across the Western Balkans, giving regional buyers a new Adriatic import route and potentially challenging Greece’s growing dominance as Southeast Europe’s southern gas gateway.
The Albanian government and U.S.-based Argent LNG signed a non-binding memorandum this week to study an onshore storage and regasification terminal designed from the outset as regional infrastructure rather than solely an Albanian supply asset.
The concept envisages potential connections with the Trans Adriatic Pipeline, the planned Ionian-Adriatic Pipeline and the Fier-Vlorë gas corridor.
That could eventually allow LNG arriving in Albania to move north towards Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia, east towards North Macedonia and other Balkan markets, or into wider European gas networks.
At full utilisation, 5 million tonnes per year of LNG would correspond to roughly 6.5-7 billion cubic metres of gas annually, far above Albania’s own prospective domestic demand.
That scale makes the project inherently regional.
Southeast Europe’s gas map has changed rapidly since the 2022 energy crisis.
Greece has emerged as the dominant southern LNG entry point through Revithoussa and new floating import infrastructure, while Bulgaria and Romania have expanded their roles as transit markets for gas moving north.
An Albanian terminal would introduce a second major Adriatic route and could strengthen competition between entry points for Western Balkan buyers.
For Albania, the infrastructure could support planned gasification, thermal generation and industrial demand while improving the economics of connecting the country to neighbouring systems.
For the wider Balkans, the more important question is whether another LNG terminal would improve competition between import routes or simply create additional infrastructure competing for the same globally priced LNG cargoes.
The experience of Greece suggests physical diversification does not automatically mean cheaper gas.
New terminals and interconnectors improve security of supply by reducing dependence on individual pipelines or suppliers, but LNG prices remain linked to global demand, shipping costs and European hub prices.
The timing of the Albanian project therefore matters.
Argent is targeting first LNG exports from its planned Louisiana facilities around 2030, giving the partners several years to complete feasibility, permitting, financing and interconnection work.
Much will depend on whether the Ionian-Adriatic Pipeline advances in parallel.
Without sufficient cross-border infrastructure and long-term buyers, a large Albanian terminal could struggle to justify its planned capacity.
But if both projects move forward, Albania could shift from being one of Southeast Europe’s least gasified markets into a competitive new entry point between the Adriatic and the Balkan interior.
The commercial test will be whether regional buyers can reach Albanian LNG more cheaply and flexibly than competing supplies entering through Greece and Bulgaria.
