EC calls on EU to stop buying LNG from Russia, not to sign new contracts

On September 1, European Commission (EC) spokesman Tim McPhie called on European Union (EU) countries to stop buying liquefied natural gas (LNG) from Russia and not sign new contracts.

Năng lượng Nga sang châu Âu không giảm, chỉ chuyển từ dạng này sang dạng khác. (Nguồn: Gazprom)

EU 'aggressively' buys LNG from Russia. (Source: Gazprom)

The 27-member bloc imported 13.5 billion cubic metres (bcm) of Russian LNG in 2021, up from 19.3 bcm last year.

Data from Kpler, a company that tracks shipping and tanker traffic, shows that EU member states imported more than half of the Russian LNG on the market in the first seven months of this year. Spain and Belgium, the main gateways for LNG supplies to the bloc, have become the second and third largest buyers of Russian LNG, after China.

From January to July this year, EU countries purchased 22 million m³ of Russian LNG, a significant increase compared to 15 million m³ in the same period in 2021.

Global Witness analysis shows that the EU has bought more than half (52%) of the 41.6 million cubic metres of LNG that Russia exported this year, up from 49% and 39% in 2022 and 2021, respectively.

Kpler analyst Adam Bennett told Business Insider that 90% of Russian LNG flowing into the EU goes to Belgium, France, the Netherlands, and Spain.

“All of these countries have contracts that run into the next decade,” Mr Bennett explained.

Commenting on the above figures, the EC spokesman said that although the EU's LNG imports have increased, the bloc's total natural gas imports from Russia have decreased by about two-thirds since the conflict in Ukraine began.

“In terms of targets, we have a Repower EU plan, which includes the goal of phasing out Russian gas purchases as soon as possible. We call on countries and companies not to buy natural gas from Russia, and not to sign new contracts when current contracts are about to expire. The EU is making significant efforts to stop buying LNG from Russia,” he stressed.

The EU - which used to import about a third of its gas via pipeline from Russia to meet its energy needs - has significantly reduced its natural gas imports and banned seaborne oil imports from Russia since the start of the conflict in Ukraine.

However, LNG has so far not been banned despite repeated calls from some EU officials.

Source