MOSCOW, May 15. /TASS/. Gas consumption in the EU in January-April increased by 6% year-on-year and totaled 135 billion cubic meters, the Gas Exporting Countries Forum (GECF) said in its report.
In April, the EU countries reduced gas consumption by 5.7% year-on-year amid warmer weather and a decrease in industrial consumption. Meanwhile, pipeline gas imports to the EU have decreased since the beginning of the year after the termination of Russian gas transit through Ukraine.
"In April 2025, EU natural gas demand fell by 5.7% y-o-y to 22 billion cubic meters (bcm0, marking the first y-o-y decline after seven consecutive months of growth. The drop was largely attributed to lower consumption in the residential and industrial sectors. Warmer-than-usual weather also played a role, as Europe recorded its sixth-warmest April on record," the report says.
However, the low share of solar and wind generation led to a greater reliance on gas-fired power plants to stabilize the energy system. Industrial gas consumption fell.
In particular, gas demand in Germany fell by 9.4% in April to 5.5 bcm, in Italy it grew by 6.1% to 4.4 bcm, and in France it fell by 18% to 1.9 bcm, in Spain - increased by 2.4%, to 2.1 bcm. The UK reduced gas consumption by 12%, to 3.9 bcm.
Pipeline gas imports to the EU in April amounted to 12.2 bcm, which is 2% lower than in March and 9% less than a year earlier. Overall, in January-April, pipeline supplies to the EU decreased by 10% to 48 bcm.
In China, total gas consumption in March decreased by 3% to 35.4 bcm.
LNG supplies
Liquefied natural gas (LNG) supplies to Europe in April increased by 22% year-on-year - 10.73 million tons. The growth in LNG imports was caused by a decrease in pipeline supplies, gas production in Europe and low gas reserves in storage facilities.
LNG imports by Asian countries fell by 3.2% to 22.51 million tons. In January-April, Europe imported 47.7 million tons (+22%), Asia - 91.1 million tons (-4.5%).
Global LNG exports in April grew by 6.7% year-on-year to 35.41 million tons. Overall, global LNG exports have grown by 4.4% since the beginning of the year to 145.87 million tons.
The largest suppliers of LNG in April were the United States, Australia and Qatar. Russia ranked fourth, again ahead of Malaysia.