Energy, EU – Baltic States, Gas, Lithuania, Transport

Klaipedos Nafta's chief executive office confirms that such discussions are being held with Croatia, which is planning to build a similar facility on the island of Krk.

"We are assessing the status of these projects and possibilities to participate in their management –- to be a shareholder, a participant. It would not necessarily be a large stake. It could be a smaller one," Mantas Bartuska, the state-controlled company's CEO, told BNS.

According to Bartuska, there are more similar LNG terminal projects, which Klaipedos Nafta advises or in whose management it could participate.

The CEO said that these were floating LNG terminals, similar to the floating storage and regasification unit (FSRU) in Klaipeda, but he would not name the countries or the projects.

Experts from Klaipedos Nafta are currently advising Columbia, which is building a similar LNG facility.

"At the start of the year, we unveiled international expansion plans. This can involve possible broader participation, not only advice, if projects are acceptable to us. At this stage, an analysis is underway to see in what projects we could participate, in what scope, in what structures, as part of the implementation of our strategy and goals," he said.

Zdeslav Matic, assistant minister for energy at the Croatian Economy Ministry, visited the Klaipeda LNG terminal last March. The country is considering whether to build an onshore LNG facility or a terminal based on the FSRU technology.

Both the Lithuanian and Croatian LNG terminals are regarded by the European Commission as strategic EU energy projects.