A Gazprom office in Omsk, Russia. Balkan Photos via Flickr
Pipeline deliveries of Russian natural gas to Europe were down 55.6 percent, year on year, in 2023.
Imports of gas via pipeline fell from 174.8 million cubic meters in 2022 to 77.6 million cubic meters in last year, according to a Reuters analysis of data from Russian state energy giant Gazprom and the European gas transmission network ENTSOG.
In 2022, Russia slashed exports of gas to Europe in retaliation for Europe’s support of Ukraine. Europe has also sought to wean off Russian gas in light of the invasion.
To cope with dwindling supplies of Russian gas, Europe has implemented measures to conserve energy and has ramped up wind and solar power. Last year, Germany, the largest economy in Europe, drew more than half of its power from renewables for the first time.
Amid gas shortages, Europe also revived mothballed coal plants and built new liquefied natural gas terminals to import gas from overseas. But clean energy and conservation efforts helped keep coal use in check. And with renewables on the rise, Europe’s new liquefied natural gas capacity is set to far exceed demand.
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