Council of the European Union
Council of the European Union
01/26/2023 | Press release | Archived content
Where does the EU’s gas come from?
While the EU remains dependent on imports of fossil fuels, it is continuously diversifying its gas suppliers. Russia's unjustified and unprovoked invasion of Ukraine and weaponisation of energy has put diversification of supply even higher on the EU's agenda.
Despite the fact that diversification is a lengthy and costly process that requires investment in infrastructure (new pipelines, LNG terminals, etc.), the results are already visible.
The EU's gas supply
In 2021, the EU imported 83% of its natural gas.
Since Russia's invasion of Ukraine, gas imports from Russia to the EU have been significantly reduced. This has mainly been compensated for by a sharp increase in imports of liquified natural gas (LNG), particularly from the US.
The EU's diversification away from Russian gas
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Chart showing the monthly share of gas delivered to the EU by Russia compared with other countries between January 2019 and November 2022.
Russia's share of the market was around 50% until the second half of 2021. Since then, the share of Russian gas started to decline rapidly and the market shares of other suppliers started to grow. This process sped up in 2022 in particular. Since June 2022, Russia's share of EU gas imports is below 20%. In November, it was 12.9%.
Between January and November 2022, Russia (pipeline gas + LNG import) stood for less than a quarter of EU gas import. Another quarter came from Norway, 11.6% from Algeria. LNG import (excluding Russia - mainly from US, Qatar and Nigeria) stood for 25.7%.
Gas import sources (January-November 2022)
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Area chart showing market shares and values for various suppliers of gas to the EU between January and November 2022.
- Russia (pipeline + LNG): 24.65%, 803.8 TWh
- LNG (mainly from the US, Qatar and Nigeria): 25.7%, 838.8 TWh
- Norway: 24.9%, 812.9 TWh
- Algeria: 11.6%, 378.8 TWh
- others: 13%, 426.9 TWh
Between January and November 2022, LNG imports from the US accounted for over 50 bcm (billion cubic meters). This is more than twice as much as in the whole of 2021 (over 22 bcm).
Monthly volumes of LNG imports from the US to the EU
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Step line chart showing monthly imports of LNG from the US to the EU between January 2021 and November 2022. In 2021, imports varied from less than 1 billion cubic metres (bcm) per month in January and February to a peak of over 3 bcm in April. Between July and December 2021, imports grew from 1.27 bcm to 2.53 bcm.
Imports significantly increased in 2022, starting at around 4 bcm in January and February and reaching 5.87 bcm in April and 5.37 in June. Between July and November, monthly imports varied at around 4 bcm.
Why is gas so important for the EU and for Europeans?
In 2021, the 27 countries of the European Union consumed 412 bcm of gas. Gas is mainly used for power generation, household heating and industrial processes. Over 30% of households in the EU use gas to heat their homes.
Gas consumption in the EU
* Households includes gas used in private dwellings (e.g. for heating and cooking). Power and heating generation includes power plants and central heating units.
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Chart showing how gas is used in the EU. Over 30% is used for electricity and heat generation, 24% is used by households, 22.6% is used by industry and 10.6% by the service industry. Other energy and non-energy use accounts for just over 11%.