The European Union has cut gas imports by 18 percent since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, and data shows that the driving force is a reduction in gas consumption, EUobserver reports, UNN writes.
Details
According to gas supply tracking data released on Wednesday, April 30, by the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA), EU gas consumption fell by 20 percent between 2021 and 2024, most of which occurred in the early years of the war.
This decline has allowed the bloc to reduce both pipeline and overseas liquefied natural gas (LNG) imports, although Russian gas imports have "fallen to a fraction of pre-war levels," the publication writes.
The results also show that the EU does not need to build more gas pipelines and regasification plants to ensure future supplies (from abroad).
"If the EU continues its policy of reducing gas consumption, the bloc will be able to meet demand without additional gas infrastructure or increased imports," said Ana Maria Jaller-Makarevich, lead energy analyst for Europe at IEEFA.
Europe remains vulnerable to potential future supply disruptions, but these can be mitigated by further "reducing gas consumption, diversifying import sources, changing gas flows and installing more renewable energy sources."
The results come just days before the European Commission's roadmap to phase out Russian energy by 2027, expected on May 6.
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While the EU has failed to completely abandon Russian fossils, data suggests that reduced consumption is likely to further reduce dependence on imports from the east, the publication writes.
In the first quarter of 2025, total gas and LNG imports to the EU remained at the same level as the previous year, despite the fact that Russian gas transit through Ukraine completely stopped in January.
The gap was filled by LNG supplies from abroad to Europe, mainly from the United States, but total imports remained at the same level and were slightly below 2023 levels.
The published data adds some caveats to the picture when it comes to imports from Russia, the publication writes.
While pipeline supplies through Ukraine have ceased, flows through Turkey increased by 16 percent in the first quarter of 2025.
Overall, imports of Russian gas and LNG to the EU increased by 19.5 percent in 2024, highlighting the slow and uneven retreat from Russian supplies.
Nevertheless, the more general direction is clear: the EU is importing less gas.
Norway and the United States accounted for more than half of the EU's gas and LNG supply in early 2025, with Russia's share falling to 14 percent and Algeria slightly behind at 13 percent.
According to Jaller-Makarevich, further investments in heat pumps and renewable energy sources will further reduce imports and protect households and businesses from "volatile gas prices."