"In 2021, in the whole year, we imported 13.5 bcm of Russian LNG, in 2022, it was 19.3 bcm, and in the first half of 2023, so to end of June, it is 10.8 bcm, so the levels are on course to be pretty consistent with what we had in 2022 as well," McPhie told a briefing.
Since the start of Russia's military operation in Ukraine in February 2022, the European Union has been looking for ways to limit its dependence on Russian fuel. As part of these efforts, the bloc has increased energy cooperation with a number of countries, including the United States, Algeria and Nigeria, with a particular focus on LNG imports.
In 2022, the EU multiplied its spending on liquefied and pipeline gas by 3.3 from 62.5 billion euros ($67.8 billion) in 2021 to 208 billion euros in 2022, with LNG imports accounting for over half of this increase, according to data from the European Statistical Office (Eurostat).