MOSCOW, March 4. /TASS/. The United States was once again Europe's leading supplier of liquefied natural gas (LNG) in 2023, accounting for nearly half of total LNG imports, according to a report by the US Department of Energy's Energy Information Administration (EIA). Russia has emerged as Europe's third-largest LNG supplier.

According to the report, last year marked the third consecutive year in which the United States supplied more LNG to Europe than any other country: 27%, or 2.4 bln cubic feet per day, of total European LNG imports in 2021; 44% (6.5 bln cubic feet per day) in 2022; and 48% (7.1 bln cubic feet per day) in 2023.

Qatar and Russia remained Europe's second and third largest LNG suppliers respectively last year. Qatar provided 14% (2 bln cubic feet per day), while Russia contributed 13% (1.8 bln cubic feet per day). In 2022 and 2023, the United States, Qatar, and Russia combined to account for three-quarters of all European LNG imports.

LNG regasification capacities in Europe will rise to 29.3 bln cubic meters per day in 2024, more than a third more than in 2021. Germany is boosting its LNG receiving capacity the greatest in Europe, adding 1.8 bln cubic meters per day in 2023 and another 1.6 bln in 2024. Furthermore, the US Department of Energy anticipates that Belgium, Greece, Poland, the Netherlands, and Cyprus will add an additional 1.8 bln cubic meters per day of new capacity by 2024.

Last year, Europe's LNG imports totaled 14.7 bln cubic meters per day on average, largely unchanged from 2022. In 2023, France, Spain, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom combined for about two-thirds of total European LNG imports. Germany imported approximately 4%, with the United States providing more than 80% of LNG supply to Germany.