BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 25. The EU bolstered its natural gas and LNG imports from Norway and the US to compensate for the decrease in Russian imports, the European Commission said, Trend reports.
As such, the Commission has focused on enhancing its relationships with international partners and broadening its sources of gas and LNG to ensure greater reliability, reducing dependence on Russian suppliers.
In 2022, LNG imports from the US more than doubled to 49.3 bcm (compared to 18.9 bcm in 2021), while pipeline gas imports from Norway rose from 79.26 bcm in 2021 to 86.69 bcm in 2022, increasing Norway's share of total EU pipeline imports from 30 percent to 40 percent.
According to the Commission, the EU also maintains regular discussions with Nigeria, the largest LNG producer in Africa.
Meanwhile, in July 2023, new memoranda of understanding were signed to strengthen cooperation on the energy transition with Uruguay and Argentina, the commission added.
Furthermore, in July 2022, the EU and Azerbaijan ratified a new Memorandum of Understanding to establish a Strategic Partnership in the Energy sector, resulting in a 40-percent increase in gas supplies from Azerbaijan. Both parties agreed to double gas deliveries to the EU by 2027 through the Southern Gas Corridor and to enhance their collaboration in areas such as clean energy, energy efficiency, electricity transmission, and methane emissions.
