Croatia expects to add another 1 billion cubic metres of annual gas-import capacity at the Krk LNG terminal during the second quarter of 2027, reinforcing the country’s role as an increasingly important supply route for Central and Southeast Europe.
LNG Hrvatska has completed its part of the expansion investment, while transmission system operator Plinacro is continuing work on approximately 250 kilometres of pipelines needed to carry higher volumes into the Croatian and regional gas networks.
Once the remaining pipeline sections have been completed, tested and permitted, the terminal’s commercial capacity is expected to rise from 3.5 billion cubic metres to between 4.3 billion and 4.5 billion cubic metres a year.
The facility is technically capable of processing around 6.1 billion cubic metres annually, but the operator does not intend to allocate the entire technical volume commercially. Some capacity will be retained as an operational buffer for adverse weather, equipment problems, emergency supply requirements and other disruptions.
This reserve is commercially significant because Krk has developed from a national import facility into critical regional infrastructure. Running the terminal permanently at its technical maximum would increase headline throughput but leave less flexibility to manage delays or emergency cargoes without affecting contracted deliveries.
Director Ivan Fugaš said scheduled shipments have continued to arrive and unload normally despite renewed uncertainty in global LNG markets associated with tensions around the Strait of Hormuz. Europe had been receiving only around 10–12% of its LNG imports from Qatar before the latest disruption, limiting its direct exposure compared with more LNG-dependent Asian markets.
The indirect effect remains important. Competition for flexible cargoes can raise European gas prices even where physical deliveries continue. Krk therefore provides Croatia and neighbouring markets with greater route diversity, but it does not isolate buyers from global LNG pricing.
The terminal’s existing commercial capacity has been fully reserved until 1 October 2037. Between 2037 and 2040, around 1.5 billion cubic metres of annual capacity remains available, although the operator does not expect those volumes to be contracted immediately.
Long-term reservations provide visibility over utilisation and support the economics of the infrastructure expansion. They also demonstrate regional demand for non-Russian supply routes extending through Croatia toward Hungary, Slovenia and other Central European markets.
Approximately 70% of the gas entering Croatia’s transmission system currently arrives through Krk. The terminal is therefore likely to play a central role in replenishing the country’s underground storage facilities and meeting European inventory requirements.
The expansion’s strategic value will depend on more than regasification capacity. The real constraint is the ability of the downstream network to transport additional gas across Croatia and into neighbouring systems. Plinacro’s pipeline works are consequently as important as the terminal upgrade itself.
A larger Krk corridor could strengthen competition between LNG, pipeline gas and stored supply across the region. It may also improve security for industrial consumers and power generators that remain exposed to short-term gas-market shocks.
The decision to preserve unused technical capacity reduces the maximum commercial return but increases the resilience of the system. For critical infrastructure, the value of spare capacity lies precisely in its availability when normal market arrangements fail.
