French imports of russian liquefied natural gas are growing - media
Kyiv • UNN
russian LNG supplies to France more than doubled in the first half of this year. French companies imported almost 4.4 bcm of russian LNG, making France the largest importer in the EU.
russian liquefied natural gas supplies to France more than doubled in the first half of this year. Referring to a new analysis of trade data conducted by the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA), the Associated Press news agency reports UNN.
Details
It is noted that although Europe has restricted oil imports from russia, natural gas imports are still allowed. An analysis of trade data shows that in the first half of this year, EU countries imported 7% more russian liquefied natural gas compared to the same period last year. At the same time, companies in France imported the most.
According to the Institute, French companies imported almost 4.4 bcm of russian LNG in the first half of this year, compared to more than 2 bcm in the same period last year. The next largest importers, Spain and Belgium, showed an increase of 1% and a decrease of 16%, respectively.
TotalEnergies, the French energy giant that accounts for the largest share of imports, said it is bound by contracts signed before Russia's invasion of Ukraine. And the French Ministry of Finance and Economy reported that the attacks on ships in the Red Sea have forced a change in the structure of LNG imports - gas from the Middle East can no longer easily reach Europe, while the russian route from the Arctic has not been affected.
The ministry noted that France is one of the main European entry points for LNG. With seven terminals each, France and Spain have the most LNG terminals in Europe.
At the same time, France imported more russian LNG than gas from other suppliers, including the United States, Angola, Cameroon, Egypt, and Nigeria. The attacks in the Red Sea did not affect the LNG exports of any of these countries.
Add
The analysis of trade data was first conducted by the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA), a US-based non-profit organization dedicated to accelerating the world's transition to more sustainable energy. The IEEFA examined data from Kpler, a shipping tracking company, and ICIS, a commodity data provider, both of which also conducted their own analysis.
