Germany’s economy ministry has warned the operators of its LNG import terminals to refuse acceptance of cargoes from Russia until further notice, as the import of Russian LNG undermines the very concept of rushing to set up LNG ports in the first place—cutting off dependence on Russian gas supply.
The German Ministry of Economy sent last week a letter to Deutsche Energy Terminal, advising it “not to accept any deliveries of Russian LNG,” the Financial Times reported on Thursday, quoting the letter it had seen.
The ministry was informed by Deutsche Energy Terminal that the LNG import facility was scheduled to receive a cargo of LNG from Russia.
So, the economy ministry said in the letter seen by FT that by allowing this shipment to be accepted, the import facility would undermine the reason for Germany installing several such import terminals since 2022—to make Europe’s biggest economy “independent of Russian gas”.
Germany’s now four operational LNG import terminals – started up between December 2022 and December 2023 – imported 7% of all natural gas imports into the country last year.
While Germany is looking to have its ports refuse Russian LNG cargoes, the EU as a whole has become more reliant on Russia’s LNG in recent months.
Russian LNG accounted for 20% of the EU’s liquefied natural gas imports in the first nine months of 2024, compared to 14% for the same period last year, amid markedly lower EU imports of the super-chilled fuel, a new report by the EU Agency for the Cooperation of Energy Regulators (ACER) showed last month.
While the Russian LNG share of the EU’s total LNG imports grew, it was a share of a smaller pie.
Despite the lower overall LNG imports into the EU so far this year, the rising share of Russia’s LNG in EU supply is a concern for several EU member states that have been pushing for ways to curb Europe’s reliance on Russian LNG cargoes.
By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com