Since Russian gas supplies to Europe became a thing of the past following the start of the war in Ukraine, many European countries are striving to find alternative energy sources. Although the EU has agreed on a plan to reduce natural gas consumption this winter by 15% compared to the average of the last five years, it does not intend to abandon gas as an energy source entirely any time soon.

One of Europe's responses to the crisis is to increase imports of liquefied natural gas (LNG). By bypassing pipelines from the east, LNG terminals open up a wider range of potential suppliers. To date, one of the main beneficiaries of these changes has been the United States. In the first half of 2022, the US became the world's largest supplier of LNG, with 7% of its exports going to the EU and the United Kingdom.

For example, Germany, which had developed a significant dependence on gas supplies from Russia, has announced the construction of three LNG import terminals since the start of the war. However, as can be seen in this infographic using data from Gas Infrastructure Europe, these will be the first terminals in the country.

Not everywhere in Europe is so poorly prepared for change. Spain already operates six terminals, while France and Turkey each have four, with both countries planning one more. Italy has three operating terminals and, once the three planned terminals are built, it will overtake Spain. Capacity expansions for several LNG terminals are also currently being planned across the continent.

Although this may serve as a short-to-medium-term solution, the use of LNG is controversial. The German Environment Agency argues that the wider use of LNG, particularly compared to transporting gas via pipelines, is not justified from the perspective of climate policy and energy efficiency. However, the agency points out that the expansion of LNG infrastructure during the transition to cleaner energy could contribute to improved security of supply, as well as greater competition.