Page 24 - RusRPTJun24

Spain leads European imports of Russian LNG with 5.21bn cubic metres (bcm) between January and September 2023, followed by France (3.19 bcm) and Belgium (3.14 bcm). Although France managed to reduce its Russian LNG imports, Belgium and Spain significantly increased theirs by 50% over the same period last year. The EU imported 13.98 bcm from January to September 2023 alone.
Belgium’s Zeebrugge terminal, France’s Montoir-de-Bretagne facility, and Spain’s Bilbao port were the primary receivers of LNG from Russia’s Yamal project. From January to September 2023, the Zeebrugge terminal handled almost twice as much LNG from Yamal than was directly imported (2.73 bcm), largely due to continued transshipments. About 90% of this transshipped LNG went to non-EU markets, according to Kpler.
This contrasts with the Netherlands, which has stopped offering transshipment services for Russian LNG, and the UK, which has banned Russian imports of the fuel altogether.
Spain has emerged as a key importer of Russian LNG, with imports reaching 5.21 bcm in the first nine months of 2023 alone, surpassing last year's total of 4.99 bcm. Russia is now Spain's second-largest LNG supplier after the US However, the origin of LNG re-exports remains unclear, suggesting a significant portion may also be of Russian origin.
24 RUSSIA Country Report June 2024 www.intellinews.com