Whereas imports of natural gas via pipeline have decreased substantially, the flow of Russian LNG into Europe continues unabated, with large volumes shipped by French major TotalEnergies.
The EU remains a key importer of Russian LNG. While much of the public’s focus in Europe has been directed toward the stark reduction in the flow of Russian natural gas to the continent through pipelines – including the apparent sabotage of the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines last month – the continued import of Russian LNG has received much less attention.
In fact imports of Russian LNG into Europe have increased 15 percent during the first eight months of 2022, compared to the same period in 2021.
A significant portion of this LNG comes to Europe from the Russian Arctic shipped in specialized ice-capable Arc7 LNG carriers. The LNG is shipped from the Yamal peninsula and passes along Norway’s seaboard en route to terminals in western Europe.
France’s energy major TotalEnergies accounts for a substantial share of LNG imports as it continues to ship Russian LNG into Europe.
”We will continue to ship LNG from Russia as long as there is no sanctions,” said TotalEnergies’ Chief Executive Patrick Pouyanne earlier this month. Läs artikel