The charge d’affaires of the United States (U.S.) Embassy in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), John Ginkel, published a new comment on the Southern Interconnection project, emphasizing that it is a key energy undertaking for the future of BiH.
“As the world moves through a geopolitical landscape that is changing extremely quickly, BiH finds itself at a crossroads. The stakes are high; it is important that BiH acts decisively in order to secure its own energy security, or it risks falling behind,” Ginkel said.
He recalled that the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump highlighted two key truths: that the world will continue to function on oil, gas, and coal, and that every molecule of Russian gas purchased in Europe finances the Russian war machine.
“BiH is one hundred percent dependent on Russia for the gas it uses, and that supply is unreliable. The European Union (EU) bans Russian gas on its single market, and Bulgaria has announced that it will stop the transit of Russian gas through its territory by 2028. When that happens, BiH will need a new source of gas, while its neighbors struggle to do the same,” Ginkel said.
He added that BiH, with only one existing interconnection for importing gas, must find an alternative supply or reserve pipeline capacity. As the solution, he cited the Southern Interconnection project, which would enable the purchase of reliable and affordable liquefied natural gas (LNG), improve BiH’s energy security, and strengthen commercial and strategic ties with reliable suppliers, especially with the U.S.
He recalled that U.S. Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum and Secretary of Energy Chris Wright, the chair and vice-chair of the U.S. Energy Dominance Council, on November 7th at the Partnership for Transatlantic Energy Cooperation (P-TEC) conference in Athens, discussed this project with senior officials from BiH and Croatia. On that occasion, they emphasized the importance of finding a compromise and appealed to all sides to stop the delays.
“Two weeks ago, I met with leaders of the ruling coalition of the Federation of BiH (FBiH). My message was simple – Now is the time to end the political deadlock and build the Southern Interconnection. And for the first time in many years, we achieved a consensus on the way forward. Together we agreed, in principle, that a U.S. company would be in the best position to build the pipeline, manage it, and operate it in the interest of all residents of the Federation. In the coming weeks, we will hold intensive talks to elaborate on the details, with the intention that construction begins next year,” Ginkel emphasized.
He stated that the arguments for building the Southern Interconnection are clear, that the population needs gas so they do not freeze in winter.
“Businesses need new reliable sources of gas to revive Herzegovinian towns and to open new jobs. And everyone in BiH, especially children and older people, needs to breathe clean air,” Ginkel said.
He concluded that Washington wants to strengthen the partnership between the U.S. and BiH and is seeking bold action to advance this project.
“The Trump administration is ready to act quickly to provide support for the Southern Interconnection. Now it is up to the leaders of BiH to move this vital project forward. Let’s work together to bring this project to the finish line,” Ginkel said.
