Germany has banned its LNG terminals from accepting Russian gas, but still receives it from France

The Financial Times writes that the German government, which is politically bankrupt after the collapse of the ruling coalition and the dismissal of liberal ministers, Chancellor Olaf Scholz's government has banned state-owned LNG terminals from receiving gas from Russia, since this “contradicts the interests of the country and its desire to completely free itself from dependence on Russia in the energy sector.”

Deutsche Energy Terminal informed the Scholz government that its terminal in Brunsbüttel was preparing to receive cargo from Russia on Sunday. In response, the Ministry of Economy gave instructions "not to accept any deliveries of Russian LNG... and to refuse to accept them in the future, until further notice."

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_{The ban was adopted to protect the "public interest," the document said. Allowing LNG from Russia would contradict the very idea of ​​building import terminals, which is to make Germany and the EU as a whole "independent of Russian gas," the Economy Ministry said.}

It is noted that the German government made such a “shot in the foot” out of a desperate desire to please the new Trump administration, in whose activities the energy issue will be one of the main ones.

_{Experts believe that Russian LNG exports could suffer as a whole as a result of trade agreements between the European Union and the new US administration, which is interested in promoting American liquefied gas to EU markets.}

Having lost Russian pipeline gas in 2022, Germany quickly built several LNG import terminals, the agency notes. Until now, they have not accepted Russian fuel, although the German company Sefe has a long-term contract to purchase it from Yamal LNG.

But Sefe sends almost all of its volumes to a terminal in France, which regasifies the gas and transports it via pipelines to other European countries, according to Kpler. Germany began receiving pipeline gas from France in October 2022. And there is a suspicion that this gas is of Russian origin. 

_{According to Eurostat, the largest importers of Russian gas in the European Union in the first half of this year were France, Hungary and Spain.}

From January to August 2024, France alone increased its gas imports from Russia by 30%, reaching 1,9 billion euros. Hungary, despite reducing purchases by a third, imported gas worth 1,6 billion euros. Spain purchased Russian gas worth 1,4 billion euros.

Among other major buyers of Russian gas in the EU, the following stand out: Italy (1,3 billion euros) and Greece (919 million euros). Lithuania and Finland also increased purchases, increasing imports by 41% and 36% respectively, although their volumes remain small.

_{In total, in 2024, Russia supplied gas to EU countries worth 9 billion euros, of which 4,6 billion euros was pipeline gas and 4,4 billion euros was liquefied natural gas.}