The volume of LNG that US President Joe Biden vowed to send to Europe corresponds to the annual total volume of LNG that Russia exported to Europe last year, data collated by Anadolu Agency from the International Gas Union (IGU) shows.
According to the data, out of Russia’s exports of 155 billion cubic meters (bcm) of natural gas to Europe last year, 140 bcm was transmitted through pipelines while the remaining 15 bcm was exported as LNG.
On Friday, US President Biden announced an agreement with the EU to send an additional 15 billion cubic meters of LNG to Europe this year to reduce energy dependence on Russia.
In a bid to wean Europe off dependence on Russian gas exports, European countries are considering alternative supply sources such as two of the biggest LNG suppliers, the US and Qatar.
Germany, which currently does not have any LNG terminal to process LNG imports, announced last month that it will build two terminals.
Although the US is exporting LNG at full capacity, it is expected that it will reduce its exports to Asia, particularly Japan, to expand its exports to Europe.
By Murat Temizer
Anadolu Agency
energy@aa.com.tr