The European Commission, which coordinates trade policy for the 28-nation bloc, said on Thursday (May 2) it plans to increase imports of liquefied natural gas (LNG) from the United States to eight billion cubic metres (bcm) per year, more than double the level of 2018.
U.S. President Donald Trump agreed with European Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker last July not to impose tariffs on EU cars as the two sides sought to improve economic ties, including a drive to increase imports of U.S. LNG.
The Commission said in a statement that U.S. LNG imports had risen by 272 percent since then, compared with the similar year-earlier period, with more than 1.4 bcm in March alone.
The EU has long worked to diversify from relying on Russia for almost 40 percent of its gas needs by developing LNG infrastructure to access other suppliers. Qatar and Australia are other major LNG suppliers.
At a news conference in Brussels with EU Energy Commissioner Miguel Canete, U.S. Energy Secretary Rick Perry said that Moscow's cut of supply to Ukraine in the winters of 2006 and 2009 showed that price should not be the only consideration.
Autor: gf / Źródło: TVN24 News in English, Reuters
Źródło zdjęcia głównego: Polskie LNG