MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 12th June, 2023) The European Union commissioned 25 billion cubic meters (bcm) of terminal capacity for liquefied natural gas (LNG) in 2022, with a further 50 bcm of terminal capacity expected to be created in 2024, EU Energy Commissioner Kadri Simson said on Monday.
"Europe has also acted decisively on the LNG import terminals, Already last year, 25 bcm of new LNG terminal capacity has been commissioned in Europe, and we now have more interconnectors and LNG terminals across the EU than ever before. And we expect a further 50 bcm of LNG terminal capacity by the end of next year," Simson said at the 9th Energy Infrastructure Forum held in Copenhagen.
Since the beginning of Russia's military operation in Ukraine in February 2022, the European Union started seeking ways to limit its dependence on Russian fuel. As part of these efforts, the bloc has increased energy cooperation with a number of countries, including the United States, Algeria, Nigeria, while mainly focusing on imports of LNG.
Last year, the EU sufficiently increased its spending on liquefied and pipeline gas by 3.3 times from 62.5 billion Euros ($67.3 billion) in 2021 to 208 billion euros in 2022, with LNG imports accounting for over a half of this increase, according to data from the European Statistical Office (Eurostat).
