The European Union (EU) this week adopted new market rules for natural gas and hydrogen that allow member countries to essentially ban the import of Russian LNG.
The EU Council adopted the package of regulations to aid decarbonization efforts by helping the bloc shift to renewable and low-carbon gasses in the energy system. It sets out rules for the organization of the natural gas market and establishes a framework for the development of a future hydrogen market with regulations for the transport, supply and storage of the fuels.
Under the rules, which would become effective in about six months, member states could temporarily limit bidding for import capacity at any pipeline entry point or liquefied natural gas terminal for delivery from Russia and its ally Belarus.
The temporary measures could be renewed and must consider energy security.
The bloc has continued to diversify its natural gas supplies since Russia invaded Ukraine in early 2022 and significantly cut exports to the continent.
An EU-wide ban on Russian LNG imports has not been implemented, but the new regulations enable member states to do so without another sanctions package.
The bloc has discussed banning the transfer of LNG from ship to ship or re-exporting Russian LNG from EU ports, but those measures have not moved ahead.
The latest measures come on top of U.S. sanctions against the Arctic LNG 2 project last year, which have curbed output from the facility’s first liquefaction train and limited progress on its other two trains.
While some European countries like Germany have stopped taking in the super-chilled fuel from Russia, the continent’s Russian LNG imports continue to rise.
Since the beginning of the year, Europe has imported 8.48 million tons (Mt) of LNG from the country, up from 7.9 Mt over the same time last year, according to Kpler data. Russia remains the continent’s second-largest LNG supplier behind the United States.
