Commissioner: EU should completely phase out Russian LNG, will propose further gas savings

Brussels, March 9 (CTK) – The European Union should completely end its dependence on liquefied natural gas (LNG) from Russia, consumption of which in the EU did not fall last year, unlike pipeline gas imports. Energy Commissioner Kadri Simson called for this today, saying European companies should not sign new contracts with Russian suppliers. The commissioner also announced that she would propose extending the voluntary gas consumption reduction scheme, which is intended to ensure adequate supplies for next winter. According to her, storage facilities are currently 57 percent full, roughly twice last year’s level.

The European bloc began seeking alternatives to Russian energy sources a year ago, after Russian troops invaded Ukraine. Moscow began using energy exports to put pressure on EU countries, which, however, quickly united in their efforts to do without them. Thanks to a combination of contracts with other suppliers, savings and greater use of renewable sources, the share of Russian pipeline imports fell last year from around 40 percent to eight percent, amounting to 61 billion cubic meters. By contrast, imports of Russian LNG rose from 16 billion cubic meters the year before last to more than 20 billion cubic meters.