Increased LNG imports from US will not create new energy dependence, - European Commission
The European Union does not see any risk of energy dependence on the United States due to the growth in imports of American liquefied natural gas (LNG).
This was announced by European Commission spokesperson for energy Anna-Kaisa Itkonen, according to Censor.NET with reference to EP.
According to her, the increase in energy imports from the US is part of the EU's strategy to gradually phase out Russian energy sources, with relevant legislation coming into force in the near future.
"Importing more energy from the United States is part of our strategy to gradually phase out energy imports from Russia, with legislation on this literally coming into force tomorrow," Itkonen said.
She noted that the European Union is implementing this policy by diversifying sources of supply and distributing risks.
"Since 2022, when Russia started the war in Ukraine, the US has become an important source of gas imports to the European Union. And there is one thing I want to make very clear: EU imports from the US, American LNG, cannot be compared to the pre-war dependence we had on Russia," the spokeswoman stressed.
Anna-Kaisa Itkonen recalled that prior to the full-scale invasion, Russia supplied about 45% of gas imports to the EU, with supplies being delivered through pipelines controlled by a single state-owned company.
"Secondly, Russia has frequently and repeatedly used energy as a weapon over the past decades. Thirdly, unlike pipeline gas, LNG is a global and liquid market, offering more diversification options for the European Union," she explained.
According to the spokesperson, this is what makes dependence on LNG more manageable.
"This makes our dependence on LNG much more manageable compared to our dependence on pipeline gas imports... Our imports from the US, the LNG we buy from the US, cannot be compared to the situation we were in before 2022," Itkonen added.
What preceded it?
- Earlier it was reported that the EU had agreed on new sanctions against Russia.
- It was also noted that the European Union agreed to phase out Russian gas faster than previously planned, seeking to completely sever ties with its former key energy supplier.
- On January 26, European Union countries finally approved a plan to ban imports of Russian gas.
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Slovakia will join Hungary in a lawsuit against the EU's decision to refuse imports of Russian gas.
