By America Hernandez
LONDON (Reuters) – European countries should consider replacing liquefied natural gas (LNG) imports from Russia with other sources beginning in 2027, the International Energy Agency director said on Tuesday.
Fatih Birol was speaking at the International Energy Week conference in London.
“Europe has been importing a lot of Russian LNG to help its economies,” he said.
“It may be high time to replace this with LNG from Qatari and other sources from 2027,” Birol added.
The global LNG market is expected to remain tight until 2027, when a wave of new projects in Qatar, the U.S. and elsewhere will bring fresh supply online.
In 2024 the European Union increased its imports of Russian LNG to reach about 20% of total LNG imports, up from 6% in 2023. The United States remained the top LNG supplier, accounting for 45% the EU’s LNG imports last year, according to EU data.
(Reporting by America Hernandez, Writing by Charlotte Van Campenhout; Editing by Sudip Kar-Gupta and David Evans)
