Beautiful Virgin Islands

Tuesday, May 13, 2025

Just where is Joe Biden going to find gas for the EU?

Just where is Joe Biden going to find gas for the EU?

Washington is counting on markets to replace some of the gas now supplied by Russia.

U.S. President Joe Biden on Friday pitched himself as the EU's savior from its Russian energy addiction — but arranging a rapid increase in the amount of liquefied natural gas sailing to Europe won't be easy.

“We’re coming together to reduce Europe’s dependence on Russian energy,” Biden said at a joint press conference with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen as the two leaders worked on how to punish Russia for invading Ukraine.

Both sides mentioned a goal of 15 billion cubic meters (bcm) of additional liquefied natural gas (LNG) delivered to EU markets this year, with hopes for 50 bcm more of U.S. LNG annually through 2030. Russia sends the EU 155 bcm a year, or about about 40 percent of the bloc’s total gas consumption.

But the details aren't clear.

Von der Leyen spoke of a "U.S. commitment to provide" those short-term volumes, but the final text of the joint statement says the U.S. will "work with international partners and strive to ensure" those cargoes find their way to the EU this year.

A senior U.S. official clarified that the promise of 15 bcm this year is actually a commitment to try and help convince companies in Asia or elsewhere that were expecting cargoes this coming winter to agree to send them to Europe instead. That would be a repeat of what happened this past winter, the official said.

But LNG industry executives meeting in Texas earlier this month warned that the weather would play a major role in dictating where cargoes go — and that a cold snap could see Asian countries clinging to their promised fuels.

"All importers are fishing in the same pool for supply," warned the International Energy Agency (IEA) in this month's guide to weaning the EU off Russian gas. Increasing LNG flows to the bloc would mean "exceptionally tight LNG markets and very high prices."

There is gas out there. The IEA wrote that Europe could scrounge up some 20 bcm of additional LNG on global markets — with 10 bcm more via pipelines from Norway and Azerbaijan, should those countries agree to ramp up production.

Even with considerable belt-tightening measures to cut demand and a speedy rollout of renewables, the best the EU could aim for would be cutting Russian gas reliance by a third this year, the IEA estimated. Brussels hopes for a two-thirds reduction.

Building capacity


Boosting U.S. LNG exports will be easier if European countries sign long-term contracts with U.S. suppliers, like the 11-year deal France's Engie signed in December with Cheniere Energy in Texas.

A fact sheet released by the White House on the deal noted that the promise of 50 bcm of future annual deliveries of U.S. LNG was "on the understanding that prices should reflect long-term market fundamentals and stability of supply and demand."

On Friday, Biden said it also meant the EU fast-tracking building permits for new LNG import terminals and pushing European countries to show there is sufficient demand for American gas through 2030.

“To accomplish this, the European Commission is going to work with the member states to store gas across the Continent [and] to build more infrastructure to receive LNG," Biden said.

Countries are already starting to move.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Wednesday promised: "We will build our own LNG terminals much faster than we have until now,” while the Netherlands signed a five-year contract to lease a floating LNG import and storage terminal for later this year.

The European Parliament also voted to approve a list of cross-border energy projects to receive fast-tracked permits this month, which include 20 gas projects from import terminals to pipelines.

This week the European Commission also proposed a new regulation mandating gas purchases to beef up storage stocks each summer to ensure they are filled to 90 percent ahead of each heating season.

The race to get more gas isn't entirely at odds with the EU's green goals; it's aiming to be climate neutral by 2050, which doesn't leave much of a long-term place for natural gas.

The joint EU-U.S. statement says the new gas infrastructure should have a low carbon footprint, and includes a section on energy-saving measures in line with the EU's recent pledge to drastically reduce oil and gas consumption.

Von der Leyen underlined those targets by departing from prepared remarks to add that independence from Russian gas "can only be achieved through investment in renewables ... but also additional gas supplies."

Climate campaigners are aghast.

"Europe already has enough capacity to import the amount of gas the U.S. intends to supply," said Murray Worthy, an anti-gas campaigner for NGO Global Witness. "Instead of lining the pockets of American fracking companies, Europe should focus its energy investments on lasting solutions such as improving building insulation, heat pumps and renewable energy sources."

Von der Leyen insisted that new infrastructure would not lead to stranded assets or additional fossil fuel dependence, because "the infrastructure we use for gas today can be used for clean hydrogen in the future."

But American LNG exporters are already taking a victory lap.

Charlie Reidl, executive director of the Center for Liquefied Natural Gas lobby in Washington, said the joint statement's emphasis on "long-term contracting mechanisms with U.S. LNG suppliers" would "establish a virtual LNG pipeline to Europe ... well into the future."

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
India and Pakistan Agreement on Ceasefire Amid Ongoing Tensions
Arsenal Stages Comeback to Draw 2-2 Against Liverpool in Premier League Clash
Trump's Upcoming Visit to Gulf Nations: Investment and Security at the Forefront
Rodrigo Duterte Awaits Trial at The Hague. Next week he might be elected mayor of his hometown
Trump fires director of U.S. Copyright Office, sources say
Retired British police officer arrested over ‘thought crime’ tweet
Cardinal Robert Prevost Elected as Pope Leo XIV, Marking a Historic Papacy
Newark Mayor Ras Baraka Arrested at ICE Facility Amid Congressional Visit
India-Pakistan conflict may be first test for Chinese military tech
Bill Gates Announces Plan to Wind Down Philanthropic Foundation and Disperse Wealth
Historic Papal Conclave Set to Commence in Rome
Huge Copper, Gold, and Silver Discovery in Argentina and Chile — But the Profits Go Abroad
Prince Harry is pleading for reconciliation — but the royals are just as sick of his victimhood as everyone else
The Road to Freedom: She Protested Putin, Escaped House Arrest, and Survived a 2,800-Kilometer Journey
OpenAI's Flip-Flop: No Longer Going Commercial, Back to Nonprofit, After Musk Lawsuit and Backlash
“Trump Supporter” Aims to Bring a MAGA-Style Shift to Romania
First From China: Zhao Xintong Wins the Snooker World Championship
Nvidia Faces Billion-Dollar Losses – Warns: China Is on Its Way to Becoming an AI Superpower
Trump Rules Out Third Term, Names JD Vance and Marco Rubio as Potential Successors
Mexico Says ‘No’ to U.S. Troops: President Sheinbaum Rejects Trump’s Offer to Fight Cartels
Nigel Farage’s Reform UK Storms the Map, Wrecking the Two-Party Monopoly
DOGE: Reimagining Government Operations with AI
Common Sense Returns to Britain's Legal System: UK Supreme Court Declares a Woman Is… a Woman
Beijing Says U.S. Is ‘Reaching Out’ for Tariff Talks Amid Soaring Trade Tensions
U.K. Court Rejects Prince Harry’s Final Appeal Over Police Security
Prince Harry’s Heartfelt Outburst Rocks the Royal Family
Trump Shares AI-Generated Image of Himself as… Pope, Prompting Outrage Reaction
Transgender Swimmer Secures Five Gold Medals at U.S. Masters Championship
Prince Harry: “I Want Reconciliation with My Family”
Germany's Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) party has now been officially labeled “right-wing extremist” by the federal office for the so-called “protection of the constitution.”
Amazon Launches Satellite Internet Service Amidst Competition with SpaceX
Transformative Changes in Women's Wrestling: The Rise of WWE Superstars
The Rush to the White Gold: Global Investment Surge in Natural Hydrogen Exploration
This is a day in Spain without electricity and internet
Reform UK Surprises in British Elections, Challenging Traditional Two-Party System
180-Year-Old Christian University in South Carolina Announces Closure Due to Unmet $6 Million Fundraising Goal
Brazilian Woman Jailed for Fourteen Years for Writing “You Lost, Idiot” on Statue During Protest
Trump Administration Removes National Security Adviser Mike Waltz Amid Signal Chat Controversy
Dutch Politician Eva Vlaardingerbroek Receives Spyware Threat Alert from Apple
Paramount Board Considers Settlement in Trump’s $20 Billion Lawsuit Over "60 Minutes" Interview
U.S. Economy Shrink in Trump’s First Quarter as Tariff Policy Raises Questions
Deadline Looms for RTS Meter Replacement: Hundreds of Thousands at Risk of Heating Disruption
Sweden Grapples with Deadly Gun Violence: Suspect Arrested After Three Young Men Killed in Uppsala Hair Salon
Walz Reveals Why Harris Chose Him as Her Running Mate and Reflects on Democratic Losses
Spain Restores Power After Unprecedented Nationwide Blackout
Carney Secures Liberal Mandate in Canada’s Federal Election
Death Penalty Sought as Luigi Manion Pleads Not Guilty in CEO Murder Case
President Trump contacts Jeff Bezos after reports of Amazon considering listing tariff surcharges; company clarifies no such plan for main platform
Spain and Portugal Recover from Massive Blackout
Liverpool Clinches Record-Equalling 20th English League Title Under Arne Slot
×