U.S. engineering firm Bechtel is interested in building Bosnia and Herzegovina’s proposed Southern Gas Interconnection, but political divisions inside the country continue to cast doubt on whether the project can move forward, a senior company executive said on Friday.
Justin Siberell, Bechtel’s director for regions and government affairs, said the project would allow Bosnia to import non-Russian gas via Croatia’s liquefied natural gas terminal on the island of Krk, reducing dependence on Russian supplies.
Speaking at a Western Balkans panel hosted by the Atlantic Council in Washington, Siberell said the project enjoys backing from successive U.S. administrations, including both of President Donald Trump’s terms as well as the administration of former President Joe Biden.
“We have analysed the project and believe it is financially viable and could generate revenue,” Siberell said. “Financing is not the problem. Construction is not the main problem. The challenge is political and domestic.”
He said Bechtel had discussed the project with officials in Sarajevo and remained interested, but added that the company had not yet worked in Bosnia and Herzegovina despite operating in neighbouring countries.
Bosnia’s Southern Gas Interconnection would link the country to regional energy networks through Croatia, providing access to alternative gas supplies.
Željka Cvijanović, the Serb member of Bosnia’s tripartite presidency, said Republika Srpska, one of the country’s two autonomous entities, was also interested in attracting U.S. investment, including in infrastructure and energy.
She said cooperation would depend on what she described as fair treatment by Washington, without imposed solutions, sanctions or favouring one side, and stressed that political agreement among Bosnia’s constituent peoples was essential.
Former senior U.S. officials at the event said the Trump administration’s approach to the Western Balkans places less emphasis on European Union integration and more on business-driven engagement, particularly in energy projects aimed at reducing Russian and Chinese influence.
Christopher Hill, a former U.S. ambassador to Bosnia, said Washington was unlikely to act as a mediator in domestic disputes and urged Balkan leaders to present concrete, region-wide projects to attract U.S. interest.
“Investment will follow if countries can cooperate and propose large-scale energy corridors,” Hill said.
Former OSCE mission chief Jonathan Moore welcomed the lifting of U.S. sanctions on some officials from Republika Srpska, arguing that excluding a significant part of the country made political compromise more difficult.
He said responsibility for progress now rests primarily with local leaders, not Washington.