The U.S. Could Become the EU's Main Gas Supplier, Study Finds
As early as this year, the United States could overtake Norway to become the European Union’s largest gas supplier. By 2028, the share of U.S. liquefied natural gas in EU imports could rise to 80%.
This is reported by Forbes Ukraine, citing a study by the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA).
Europe’s growing dependence on U.S. gas
Europe is becoming increasingly dependent on liquefied natural gas from the U.S., which will account for two-thirds of the continent’s imports of this fuel by 2026. U.S. LNG imports to Europe more than tripled from 2021 to 2025 amid the shift away from Russian pipeline gas.
"Europe’s transition from pipeline gas to LNG was intended to ensure energy security and diversification. Instead, due to the war in the Middle East and excessive dependence on the U.S., this strategy has failed on both counts," said Ana Maria Haller-Makarevich, a leading analyst at IEEFA.
The expert called LNG the “Achilles’ heel” of Europe’s energy strategy, making the continent vulnerable to high prices and new supply risks.
Despite statements about phasing out Russian gas, the European Union imported record volumes of Russian LNG in the first quarter of 2026. The main buyers were France, Spain, and Belgium. Last year, EU countries spent €5.9 billion on Russian pipeline gas and €6.7 billion on Russian LNG.
IEEFA forecasts a further decline in gas consumption in Europe—by 14% between 2025 and 2030. At the same time, EU countries continue to build new LNG terminals, which may remain underutilized.
Gas imports to Ukraine fell 28-fold in April.
Ukrainewill increase gas imports from Poland, according to the regulator.
Ukrainesharply reduced electricity imports in April.
Ukraine is proposing to review electricity price caps, as current restrictions are already hindering imports from Europe.
Electricity purchases from Moldova and EU countries rose to 35,000 MWh after the start of a maintenance campaign at one of the nuclear power units.
