US official sees Greece as hub to boost American natural gas exports

Key Points

• Greece is viewed as a strategic hub for increasing U.S. natural gas exports to Europe, facilitated by its extensive pipeline network.
• Interior Secretary Doug Burgum highlighted U.S. goals to ensure energy abundance for allies, reducing reliance on adversaries like Russia.
• More than half of the EU's liquefied natural gas (LNG) supply now comes from the United States, with imports expected to further increase under a new EU-U.S. trade deal.
• Chevron's joint venture with Helleniq Energy to explore offshore gas reserves has prompted objections from Libya regarding maritime jurisdiction claims.

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — A U.S. Cabinet official overseeing a planned expansion of natural gas exports to Europe said Thursday that Greece could play a key role through its pipeline system that extends across the region.

Interior Secretary Doug Burgum visited a liquefied natural gas terminal outside Athens that is linked to a bidirectional pipeline network reaching as far as Ukraine.

“The Trump administration has a couple of goals relative to energy,” Burgum, a top energy adviser to U.S. President Donald Trump, said during talks in Athens with Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis.

“One of those is energy abundance — to sell energy to our friends and allies so they do not have to buy from our adversaries,” Burgum said. “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 comes from the United States, with imports surging after Russia — a traditional supplier — invaded Ukraine in 2022. Under an EU-U.S. trade deal reached this summer, imports are set to rise further.

Burgum’s visit came a day after U.S. energy giant Chevron announced a joint bid with Greek partner Helleniq Energy to explore for offshore gas reserves off Greece’s western coast and south of the island of Crete.

Libya has objected to the plan, arguing that it encroaches on maritime areas where it claims jurisdiction.