Belgium halts Russian LNG imports, driving EU imports down 46% in August

A report released on September 11 by the Center for Research on Energy and Clean Air shows that Belgium eliminated all imports of Russian liquefied natural gas in August, after receiving exclusively Russian cargoes in July. This contributed to a 46% month-on-month decline in EU-wide Russian LNG imports, the lowest monthly level since Russia's full-scale invasion began in 2022. With Belgium out, only France, Spain and the Netherlands continue to import Russian LNG, and French ports now represent 57% of the EU's total LNG volume.

TotalEnergies holds a Russian LNG contract that will terminate at the end of 2026, after which the REPowerEU regulation will make such imports illegal from January 2027. Despite the reductions, the EU still purchases 49% of Russia's LNG exports, far ahead of the next largest market, China. The report also notes an 81% month-on-month fall in oil-product exports destined for Australia, prompting the Australian Senate to discuss tighter sanctions.