Kosovo's acting Prime Minister Albin Kurti said on Wednesday that the country is considering the possibility of using liquefied natural gas (LNG) from the United States in the future, amid continued calls to join its largest ally's LNG supply project.

Kurti made these comments during the groundbreaking ceremony for the construction of a solar park with a capacity of 105 megawatts in Rahovec, in the southwest of the country.

"For the future, we aim to use coal more responsibly with special emphasis on its gasification, and we are considering the possibility of using liquefied gas from the United States through cooperation with Albania at the Vlora thermal power plant," Kurti said.
The incumbent government has faced constant calls to enter American gas projects.
In late June, the acting Minister of Economy, Artane Rizvanolli, insisted that Kosovo is not against American liquefied gas, and added that the country would treat this issue "very seriously."
Similar to Kurti on Wednesday, Rizvanolli had also said that the incumbent government sees coal gasification as a better option than supplying with American LNG.
However, this is the first time that Kurti or anyone from his government says they are considering the call of Kosovo's main ally to be supplied with American LNG.
In Kosovo, 90 percent of electricity is still produced from coal, and only about 10 percent comes from renewable sources such as water, wind, and sun.
But the country also depends on imports, especially during peak winter and summer times.

Meanwhile, the American Chamber of Commerce and the Kosovo Chamber of Commerce recently warned that rejecting regional LNG projects risks having a negative impact on Kosovo's partnership with the United States.

On several occasions, the American Chamber of Commerce has argued that Kosovo's inclusion in the regional infrastructure of the American project would increase energy security, diversify sources of supply, and make the country more attractive for investment.

The debate has intensified after the chargé d'affaires at the US Embassy in Pristina, Anu Prattipati, published an opinion piece in early June, calling on Kosovo to enter into a long-term energy partnership with the United States through American gas.
Experts on energy-related developments in Kosovo believe that the US is making efforts not to leave the Western Balkan countries vulnerable to Russian and other influences in the energy sector.

Several Western Balkan countries have signed agreements with American companies and the US to expand their gas networks.
Among them are Albania, Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina. A major project has recently been signed to build a gas pipeline that aims to disconnect Sarajevo from Russian supplies.REL