Germany’s Ministry of Economy has instructed state-owned import terminals to stop receiving liquefied natural gas (LNG) shipments from Russia. This decision marks a significant step in Germany’s efforts to further isolate itself from Russian energy imports and bolster energy security within the European Union.
The directive, issued to Deutsche Energy Terminal, mandates a halt to all Russian LNG deliveries, according to a report by the Financial Times. The ministry cited the need to protect “overriding public interests,” urging operators to decline any Russian LNG shipments “until further notice.”
Before Russia’s large-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Germany had been Europe’s primary importer of Russian natural gas. However, as tensions escalated and Russian President Vladimir Putin reduced pipeline gas supplies to Germany and other European nations, the government under Chancellor Olaf Scholz moved swiftly to secure alternative energy sources. In response, Germany constructed several LNG terminals to facilitate seaborne imports, intending to reduce its dependency on Russian gas.
In a letter explaining the directive, Germany’s Ministry of Economy highlighted that permitting Russian LNG imports would contradict the very purpose of the LNG terminals. These facilities, it stressed, were developed to secure Germany’s and the EU’s independence from Russian energy supplies. Since the onset of Russia’s invasion, Germany has avoided importing Russian LNG, and the ministry’s new guidance “ensures that this policy remains unchanged.”
While Germany is enforcing its own restrictions on Russian LNG, the broader European Union has yet to adopt a collective ban. Both the United States and the United Kingdom imposed restrictions on Russian LNG early in the conflict, yet Russian LNG still comprises about 20% of Europe’s total LNG imports. The largest European importers of Russian LNG remain France, Spain, and Belgium, bound by long-term contracts that, under current EU regulations, would require a full legislative ban to annul.
One of Germany’s own energy entities, Sefe, holds a long-term agreement to source LNG from Russia’s Yamal plant. Under this arrangement, most of the LNG is processed through an import terminal in France, where it is regasified and subsequently fed into Europe’s pipeline network. In a notable shift, since October 2022, Germany has also started receiving piped gas from France.
