U.S. Sees Greece as Hub to Boost American LNG Exports to Europe

ATHENS, Greece — U.S. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said Thursday that Greece could play a key role in expanding American liquefied natural gas exports to Europe by leveraging its regional pipeline system.

Burgum, who is a top energy adviser to President Donald Trump and a Cabinet official involved in plans to expand U.S. natural gas exports to Europe, visited a liquefied natural gas terminal outside Athens that is linked to a bidirectional pipeline network reaching as far as Ukraine. He met with Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis during the trip.

"The Trump administration has a couple of goals relative to energy," Burgum said in Athens. "One of those is energy abundance — to sell energy to our friends and allies so they do not have to buy from our adversaries. There are so many opportunities for participation by Greek companies and by the country of Greece to contribute to energy security for Eastern Europe."

More than half of the European Union’s LNG supply now comes from the United States, with imports rising sharply after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 drove European countries to diversify away from Russian pipeline gas. Under an EU-U.S. trade agreement reached this summer, officials expect U.S. LNG shipments to Europe to increase further.

Burgum’s visit came a day after U.S. energy company Chevron announced a joint bid with Greek partner Helleniq Energy to explore offshore gas reserves off western Greece and south of Crete. Libya has objected to that plan, saying it encroaches on maritime areas where it asserts jurisdiction.

Greek officials have sought to position the country as an energy transit hub, citing its geographic location and an expanding network of pipelines and terminals that can receive LNG and send gas northward into the Balkans and eastward toward Ukraine. Some of the existing pipelines are bidirectional, allowing flows to be redirected depending on demand and supply conditions.

European energy officials and market participants have been pursuing a range of options to ensure stable supplies through the winter months and beyond, including increased LNG imports, faster permitting for new projects and greater coordination across transit networks. U.S. officials have promoted American LNG as part of those diversification efforts.

In Athens, Burgum and Greek leaders discussed commercial opportunities for Greek firms to participate in infrastructure and supply projects, emphasizing energy security for Eastern Europe. No new commercial agreements were announced during the visit.

Greece has attracted renewed interest from international energy firms in recent years as companies seek new exploration and development opportunities in the eastern Mediterranean and Ionian basins. Disputes over maritime boundaries and claims from neighboring countries, including Libya, have complicated some projects.

Officials from the U.S. Interior Department did not immediately provide additional details on specific shipments or timelines for any expanded use of Greek infrastructure to carry U.S. LNG to European markets.