Kathimerini Greece Newsroom
A first-ever shipment of American liquefied natural gas bound for Bulgaria has arrived in northeastern Greece, marking a milestone for energy supply in southeast Europe and underscoring Greece’s growing role as a regional energy hub.
The cargo, delivered by energy company Metlen, docked at the floating storage and regasification unit (FSRU) in Alexandroupoli, a key gateway for gas flowing into the Balkans. From there, the gas will be sent north to Bulgaria, adding a new supply route at a time when countries in the region are working to reduce dependence on fewer, riskier sources.
Metlen said the delivery is a landmark moment, calling it proof of its role in keeping energy flowing across the Balkans, from Bulgaria and Romania to neighboring markets. The company described its cooperation with Bulgaria’s state gas supplier, Bulgargaz, as one of the most stable and long-running cross-border energy partnerships in the region.
Panagiotis Kanellopoulos, Metlen’s chief executive for international energy supply and trading, said the shipment builds on years of groundwork. He noted that Metlen has supplied gas to the Greek market since 2010 and, in 2018, became the first company to import LNG into Greece and export it onward to Bulgaria.
“This first US-sourced LNG cargo for Bulgaria strengthens a partnership that has been built over time,” Kanellopoulos said, adding that the move highlights Greece’s position as a real energy hub and Metlen’s role in delivering reliable and competitively priced gas across southeast Europe.
Why this matters
Energy security has become a top concern for countries in the Balkans, especially after recent geopolitical shocks exposed how vulnerable single-source energy supplies can be. Bringing US LNG into the mix gives Bulgaria, and the wider region, more options, more flexibility, and greater resilience.
The Alexandroupoli FSRU is central to that strategy. By allowing gas to arrive by sea and be redirected through pipelines to multiple countries, it helps loosen bottlenecks and reduce dependence on traditional routes.
In simple terms: more entry points mean fewer pressure points. And for a region that has learned the hard way how quickly energy can turn into a political problem, that’s a development worth watching.
