Albania signed a 20-year agreement with AKTOR Group’s US subsidiary to import liquefied natural gas, alongside a separate deal on a new energy hub, in moves aimed at boosting energy security and positioning the country as a regional energy player, AKTOR and the Albanian govenrment said in separate statements.

Albania has spent the past decade reforming its heavily hydro-dependent and import-reliant energy sector, aiming to reduce vulnerability to supply shocks and improve efficiency. The country is now seeking to become a regional energy connector linking production, infrastructure and cross-border markets.

AKTOR LNG USA and state-owned AlbGaz agreed that the US-based unit will supply 1bn cubic metres (bcm) of LNG per year starting in 2030.

The agreement was signed in Tirana by AKTOR Group chief executive Alexandros Exarchou, Albania’s Infrastructure and Energy Minister Enea Karakaçi, and AlbGaz CEO Amarda Kapaj, in the presence of Prime Minister Edi Rama and US Ambassador to Greece Kimberly Guilfoyle.

“Today we took a very important step towards the implementation of the Vertical Corridor, a strategic initiative designed by the U.S. government that aims to provide Europe with energy security through American LNG,” Exarchou said.

“Our agreements… can unlock the enormous potential of the Vertical Corridor for the benefit of Europe. We are excited to participate in this transatlantic partnership between the governments of the United States and Albania,” he added.

In parallel, AKTOR Energy USA signed a memorandum of understanding with Albania’s government to study the development of an integrated energy hub, including a gas-fired power plant of about 380 megawatts. The project is backed by the United States.

Albania’s government said the agreements marked “important steps towards diversifying energy sources and strengthening energy independence, in close cooperation with the United States, as well as concrete interaction with neighboring Greece.”

Karakaçi said the partnership reflected “a shared vision to build a secure and sustainable energy future, based on sustainability and long-term planning.”

“A central pillar of this vision is the development of the Vlora Energy Center… a multi-component project that will redefine Albania’s role on this energy map,” he said.

Guilfoyle said the agreements reflected Albania’s growing regional importance.

“There are two very important agreements being signed today… the $6 billion agreement for liquefied natural gas, which shows that Albania is always playing an increasing role as a connector in the Western Balkans,” she said.

“In the energy sector, security and prosperity, well-being go hand in hand,” she added, noting that the planned energy hub “demonstrate[s] the importance that the Albanian government attaches to sustainable energy for the benefit of Albanian citizens.”

In a post on social media platform X, Guilfoyle called the deal a “historic” step that “strengthens energy security — and national security — across the entire region.”

Rama said the agreements were part of a broader transformation of Albania’s energy sector.

“Energy determines our security, our economic power and our ambition for the place we occupy in this region and in Europe,” he said.

He added that Albania had undergone “a very painful process of energy reform” and was investing heavily “to diversify our portfolio and to go from a country that is completely dependent on hydropower and imports, to very quickly become a net exporter of 100% renewable energy.”

Rama said the planned development in Vlora would turn the area into “a gateway” and “a critical point for energy in Southeast Europe.”

“The partnership between Albania and the United States of America today conveys a very clear message: even small countries can take bold steps and become part of solving some of the most pressing challenges of our time,” he said.