European countries bought more liquefied natural gas from Russia in the first seven months of the year than before the start of the war in Ukraine. This is now apparent from a study by the environmental organization Global Witness, which even speaks of an increase of 40 percent compared to 2021.
According to this data, from January to July 2023, EU countries bought about 22 million cubic meters of so-called LNG. This data comes from the raw materials analysis company Kpler. According to the information, about 21 million cubic meters of liquefied gas were imported from Russia to Europe last year. Since the start of the war in Ukraine, EU countries have agreed on an import ban on coal and, with exceptions, crude oil, but liquefied natural gas is not one of them.
Spain was the largest customer
At the same time, the country pledged to reduce imports of other fossil fuels. The purchase of the liquefied natural gas has cost an estimated 5.3 billion euros in the past seven months. The EU is said to have bought about half of Russia’s exports (52 percent). By way of comparison, in 2021 it was only 39 percent, according to the report. The largest buyer until July was Spain – Spain has the most in Europe with six LNG terminals for conversion – with only China buying more. Also far ahead was Belgium, which also transports gas from Zeebrugge.
“Europe’s fossil gas-based energy system is a climate catastrophe and a security risk that funds belligerent regimes and fuels deadly extreme weather,” said Jonathan Noronha-Gant of Global Witness. It would take more effort to replace gas with renewable energy.
Russia wants to curb oil exports
As for oil, the Russian government announced on Wednesday that it plans to cut exports by 159 liters in September. Revenues fell as Western countries virtually never buy Russian oil again, with China and India becoming the main buyers. In addition, by the end of July, prices on Russian oil exchanges and gas stations had risen sharply as state-subsidised oil was exported. There will be more checks in the future.
Source: Krone
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