EGU: Net gas imports to Czechia rose by a quarter to 6.78 billion m3 last year

Net natural gas imports to Czechia for domestic needs alone rose by a quarter last year to 6.78 billion cubic metres (m3). Total imports exceeded eight billion cubic metres, increasing by 39 percent. Gas flowed exclusively from the west, namely from Norway and liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminals in north-western Europe. Consultancy EGU said this in an analysis. ČEZ reported this morning that the terminal in Eemshaven, the Netherlands, which has been in operation since September 2022, handled 72 vessels carrying LNG for Czechia from the start of operations through to the end of last year. Last year, the vessels transported 2.48 billion cubic metres of gas for domestic consumption.

"Unlike in 2024, natural gas imports last year were no longer secured through purchases of Russian gas imported into Slovakia or Hungary, but exclusively through imports of gas from Norway and LNG terminals in north-western Europe. Gas transit increased fourfold compared with the record-low year of 2024," said EGU project director Michal Kocůrek.

According to him, imports of Russian gas ceased to be financially advantageous and physically available for Czech traders, particularly as a result of the abolition of the fee for using the German transmission system and the end of gas transit through Ukraine from the beginning of 2025.

According to analysts, the reasons for growing transit were higher measured consumption year on year, greater withdrawals from storage facilities during last winter and a seasonal recovery in gas transit to Slovakia and Poland.

"In 2025, we recorded a year-on-year increase in gas transmission through our system. The key factor was a significant rise in volumes transited to Poland and especially Slovakia, which reached a total of more than 1.2 billion m3. This confirms that with the arrival of new sources of gas supply for the EU, our infrastructure has the potential to further strengthen its role in ensuring security of energy supplies," said Michal Slabý, managing director of NET4GAS, which holds the exclusive licence for natural gas transmission in the Czech Republic.

Energy company ČEZ reported today that the terminal in Eemshaven, the Netherlands, which has been in operation since September 2022, handled 72 vessels carrying liquefied natural gas (LNG) for Czechia from the start of operations through to the end of last year. The vessels have delivered 6.44 billion cubic metres of gas since operations began, including 2.48 billion cubic metres last year.

Across the European Union as a whole, gas imports increased by 12 percent, while imports from Russia fell by around 30 percent year on year. Volumes of both pipeline gas and Russian LNG declined. LNG was the EU's main source of gas last year, with approximately 60 percent coming from the United States.

The average price of natural gas on the European market reached EUR 36.4 per megawatt-hour (MWh) last year, equivalent to around CZK 884, and was therefore around five percent higher than in 2024. The price rose sharply at the start of the year before gradually declining over several months. Analysts expect a further fall this year, to as low as EUR 30 per MWh.