The EU purchased more than half of the volumes despite vows to eliminate dependence on the sanctioned country’s energy, data shows
Russia exported a record 33.6 million tons of liquefied natural gas (LNG) last year, more than half of which went to the EU market, business daily RBK reported on Tuesday, citing data from analytics firm Kpler.
The figure represents a 4% increase from the previous record of 32.9 million tons set in 2022, the report noted. Furthermore, Russia achieved a new milestone in December, exporting 3.25 million tons of LNG – a nearly 14% increase compared to the previous month and 1.3% higher than the previous high set in December 2023.
According to Kpler, the largest share of Russia’s LNG exports last year came from the country’s Yamal LNG facility, with shipments totaling 21.1 million tons – up 6% over 2023. In contrast, exports from Sakhalin-2 declined by 3.1% to 9.9 million tons. At the same time, shipments from Vysotsk, home to mid-scale plants Gazprom LNG Portovaya and Kriogaz-Vysotsk, rose by 3.4% to 2.31 million tons.
The data also showed that some 186,000 tons were shipped from the Utrenny terminal, part of the Arctic LNG 2 project. Additionally, Kpler identified another 135,000 tons of Russian LNG shipments as originating from an unspecified port.
The report aligns with statements made by Russian Deputy Prime Minister Aleksandr Novak that in December the country’s LNG exports would reach approximately 33 million tons by the end of 2024.
“We have major projects underway… with new [plants] under construction. LNG is being supplied to both European and Asian countries,” Novak said at the time, emphasizing that the LNG market is “highly competitive” and that the number of countries purchasing Russian fuel is “significant.”
The EU accounted for approximately 17.4 million tons, or 52%, of Russia’s total LNG exports in 2024, representing a 4% increase over 2023, according to the report. The surge in imports came despite the EU’s efforts to curb reliance on Russian energy.
In June, Brussels targeted Russian LNG for the first time, banning re-loading operations, ship-to-ship transfers, and ship-to-shore transfers with the purpose of re-exporting to third countries via the EU. The sanctions have a nine-month transition period.
France, Spain, Belgium, and the Netherlands were the largest buyers of Russian LNG within the EU last year, according to the report.
Meanwhile, approximately 45% of total exports, equivalent to 15.2 million tons, were directed to Asian markets. China led as the top buyer in the region, importing 7 million tons, followed by Japan with 5.7 million tons.
Other destinations included Türkiye and Kuwait. The latter significantly boosted its imports to 220,000 tons, a threefold increase over 2023 purchase volumes. Additionally, 336,000 tons of Russian LNG were shipped to unspecified destinations, according to Kpler data.
