Representatives of Croatia's Plinacro gas pipeline operator, the LNG Croatia company and Slovenia's Plinovodi gas pipeline company met on Thursday to discuss the possibility of expanding the interconnection between the two countries' gas pipelines.

They also discussed the possibility of supplying Slovenia, central and eastern Europe with gas from Croatia’s LNG terminal, Plinacro said a press release.

The aim is to strengthen supply security and reduce dependence on Russian gas, and the three parties stated their readiness to cooperate in the development of this strategically important project.

The meeting was held in the wake of last month’s talks between the prime ministers of Croatia and Slovenia, who also discussed energy cooperation between neighbouring states.

The planned increase of the LNG terminal’s capacity to 6.1 billion cubic metres of gas a year and construction of the Zlobin-Bosiljevo pipeline will create the main prerequisite for developing gas pipelines and increasing transport to Hungary and Slovenia.

The Zlobin-Bosiljevo pipeline is expected to be built in two or two and a half years.

The potential supply of Slovenia, Austria and other central European countries is based on plans to increase the capacity of the Lucko-Zabok-Rogatec pipeline by building a 70-km-long parallel pipeline.

Plinacro is preparing a score of projects to increase gas transport to the region in line with the European Commission’s REPowerEU plan and stands ready to promptly launch the construction of the additional transport routes, the company’s CEO Ivica Arar said.