EU imports record volume of gas from Yamal LNG plant in 2026 — FT

LONDON, July 13. /TASS/. The European Union imported a record 9.89 mln metric tons of liquefied natural gas (LNG) from the large-scale Yamal LNG plant in the first half of this year, 18% more than in 2025, the Financial Times (FT) reported, citing analysts at Kpler.

According to the analysts, the main buyers were France, Belgium, and Spain, which imported 3.6 mln, 2.9 mln, and 2.7 mln metric tons of LNG, respectively. In total, the EU may have paid around 6 billion euros for the gas supplies.

On January 26, the Council of the European Union formally approved a full ban on imports of Russian LNG starting January 1, 2027, and on imports of Russian pipeline gas starting September 30, 2027. At the same time, the ban on LNG imports under short-term contracts took effect on April 25 of this year, while short-term contracts for pipeline gas supplies were required to be terminated by June 17.

The FT noted that LNG shipments to Asia fell by 74% over the same period to 510,000 metric tons. According to one of the newspaper's sources, the decline in LNG exports to the region is linked to concerns over possible sanctions by the European Union.

Russia currently operates two large-scale LNG plants -- Yamal LNG and Sakhalin-2. Another project, Arctic LNG 2 (its first production train), has not yet been officially commissioned, although exports of individual cargoes to China have been reported. Russia also operates two mid-scale LNG plants in the Baltic region -- Gazprom LNG Portovaya and Cryogas-Vysotsk -- both of which have been placed on the US Treasury Department's sanctions list.