Brimming European LNG terminals have limited space for more gas – EURACTIV.com

Europe’s liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminals have limited available capacity to absorb extra supply from the United States or other major producers in the event of Russian gas disruption if it invades Ukraine.

Concerns are mounting that Russia, which provides around a third of Europe’s gas, is preparing to invade Ukraine which could disrupt gas flows to Europe. Russia has repeatedly denied it is preparing to invade Ukraine.

The US administration has recently approached major energy producers such as Qatar and Japan to see if they can send extra LNG to Europe.

At least half of US LNG shipped this month has gone to Europe, Refinitiv data shows, with Europe poised to remain the top destination for US shipments for the third month in a row.

LNG imports to the continent remain robust. After hitting a record high in January at more than 16 billion cubic metres (bcm), they are at 6.9 bcm so far in February.

This means most of Europe’s LNG terminals are operating at full capacity, especially in north-west Europe, which feed large economies like Germany, France and Britain, raising the question of how much more LNG can be processed.