France has become the main transshipment hub for Russian LNG in Europe

Imports of liquefied natural gas from Russia to France have increased by 81%, and most of the raw material can be exported further.

France is the main recipient of Russian LNG in Europe. This is reported by Gospodarka Morska with reference to the IEEFA (Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis) analytical center.

According to the report, in 2023-2024, imports of Russian LNG to France increased by 81%, reaching 2.68 billion euros. The country has a well-developed port infrastructure, which allows it to receive natural gas in liquid form, after which it is regasified and supplied via pipelines further across Europe.

“It is unclear where exactly the Russian LNG is going, but it is possible that it is exported to Germany, which until 2022 did not have its own terminals for receiving liquefied gas at all,” explains IEEFA expert Ana Maria Yaller-Makarevich.

Yes, Germany imports twice as much LNG as France, but a significant part of this resource passes through French ports.

According to the analysis, 27% of all Russian LNG in France last year was received by the Dunkirk terminal. At the same time, 85% of Russian LNG imports to Europe come through the ports of France, Spain and Belgium.

After Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the EU began to refuse pipeline gas from Russia, but supplies of liquefied gas from the Russian Federation remain high, which complicates the implementation of the European Commission’s plan to stop importing Russian gas by 2027.

Earlier, USM reported that at the end of 2024, the European Union imported 15.5 million tons of Russian LNG, which is the highest figure since 2019.