EU to end Russian gas and LNG imports

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The European Union is hitting the home stretch in its pivot away from Russian gas.

Almost four years after the full-scale invasion of Ukraine upended energy markets, the EU passed a landmark law in January phasing out the fuels.

It’s a big deal.

Russia used to be the EU’s key gas supplier. A lot of those flows have dwindled since 2022.

The new law bans the last bits over the next two years.

Imports of Russian LNG will be fully outlawed in early 2027, with the full ban on pipeline gas imports coming in the following autumn.

More could follow, including a proposed ban on LNG tanker services.

Europe still faces energy challenges, though.

LNG from the US has replaced a lot of the EU’s lost Russian gas. But Brussels is keen to avoid switching one dependency for another.

In January, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen called for an urgent push toward European energy independence.

Given Europe’s lack of home-grown resources, that will mean a massive expansion of renewables and nuclear, which poses its own hurdles.

As Europe closes one chapter of energy uncertainty, another is opening.