The largest importer of Russian LNG in the EU will reduce purchases by 80%

Poland, which was the largest importer of Russian liquefied natural gas (LNG), will reduce its purchases by 80% due to sanctions.

According to Reuters  andWNP.pl., citing the Polish Liquefied Natural Gas Association (POGP), imports are expected to fall from 100,000 tons per month in 2024 to about 20,000 tons in 2025.

Such forecasts are due to the fact that the EU embargo on imports of Russian liquefied natural gas came into force on December 20, 2024. Not all types of LNG are subject to sanctions (pure butane and isobutane, which are mainly used as raw materials for the petrochemical industry, are excluded from the sanctions), so Poland will not stop imports completely.

To compensate for the deficit, POGP said it expects Poland to increase LNG imports through its ports, as well as by truck from countries such as Germany and the Netherlands. LSEG ship tracking data showed that Poland has already increased its seaborne LNG imports by 5% in 2024 to 1.14 million tonnes as the country anticipated sanctions. Shipments from the United States and the United Kingdom also increased significantly, while seaborne imports from Sweden decreased.

Russian LNG is now reorienting itself towards Asian markets, especially Turkey, where imports from Russia increased from 43,500 to 656,000 tonnes in 2020-2023.

As previously reported by USM, Spain is demanding new sanctions against Russian LNG, despite significant imports.