LNG made up 45 percent of European Union gas imports in 2025, up nine percentage points from the prior year, according to the European Commission. The volume reached about 4.63 trillion cubic feet, underscoring a rapid pivot away from pipeline gas.
Total EU gas imports have remained elevated as the bloc continues to replace Russian pipeline supplies severed after the invasion of Ukraine. The surge in LNG volumes reflects both increased regasification capacity and long-term contracts signed with producers in the United States, Qatar, and elsewhere.
Regasification terminals across the EU have expanded to accommodate the influx. New floating storage and regasification units have come online in Germany, the Netherlands, and Italy, easing prior bottlenecks. The Commission credited these infrastructure investments as critical to absorbing the record LNG flows.
Geopolitical tensions continue to shape the market. Brussels has imposed additional sanctions targeting Russian LNG transshipment, while European buyers compete with Asian markets for spot cargoes. The structural shift also reduces Moscow's leverage over European energy security, though it deepens reliance on seaborne supplies.
Critics argue that locking in long-term LNG contracts risks locking Europe into fossil fuel dependence for decades, potentially undermining climate goals. The Commission countered that LNG serves as a bridge fuel, with investments in renewables and hydrogen proceeding in parallel.