Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic on Wednesday met with US Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm, and both officials confirmed plans to further strengthen the Croatia-US alliance and partnership, including economic and energy cooperation, the Croatian government said in a statement.

The meeting recognised the important role of Croatia, which can significantly contribute to Europe’s energy security in the changed global circumstances caused by the Russian aggression against Ukraine. This primarily refers to the LNG terminal on Krk island and plans to increase its capacity to secure an alternative gas supply route for Central and Southeast European countries, the statement said.

Croatia has been making significant investments in renewable energy sources to create conditions for a cleaner and more diverse energy future. The country’s geothermal potential was acknowledged and the meeting indicated the possibility of further cooperation between Croatia and the USA in developing and using geothermal energy, the statement said.

Secretary Granholm is visiting Zagreb to attend to 4th ministerial meeting of the Partnership for Transatlantic Energy and Climate Cooperation (P-TECC).

P-TECC is a multilateral initiative headed by the US Department of Energy. It comprises 24 Central and East European countries and is complementary to the Three Seas Initiative, with an emphasis on energy infrastructure, connectivity, and security.

This year’s P-TECC meeting in Zagreb started on Wednesday with a business forum and will continue on Thursday with a ministerial meeting.