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BRUSSELS. – Despite repeated pledges to wean itself off Russian energy and speed up its green revolution, the European Union has become the largest buyer of liquefied natural gas from Russia in the first seven months of this year, according to an environmental non-profit organisation
Global Witness said EU member states bought 22 million cubic meters of LNG from Russia during the seven months, a jump of 40 percent over the same period in 2021.
The purchase was worth US$5.75 billion based on price estimates by the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air in Helsinki, Finland.
The Global Witness report published yesterday showed it is a much sharper rise than the global average increase in Russian LNG imports, which stands at 6 percent.
In total, the EU bought 52 percent of Russia’s LNG exports between January and July, compared with 49 percent last year and 39 percent in 2021.
Spain and Belgium are the second- and third-largest buyers of Russian LNG, trailing behind China. During the first seven months of this year, Spain bought 18 percent of Russian LNG, Belgium bought 17 percent and China 20 percent.
In March, European Commissioner for Energy Kadri Simson urged member states and EU companies to stop buying Russian LNG. – ChinaDaily.com
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