Central and Eastern Europe LNG Import Capacity at Risk of Exceeding Demand

LNG facilities are at risk of underutilisation due to the rapid increase in LNG import infrastructure in Central and Eastern Europe to replace Russian gas supplies, according to energy think tank Ember.

• LNG import capacity for the Three Seas Initiative countries between the Baltic, Adriatic and Black seas will exceed historic imports of Russian pipeline gas as early as next year, Ember said.
• Capacity across the countries including Poland, Lithuania and Greece will exceed demand by 2030. Central and Eastern Europe’s LNG and pipeline gas import capacity combined with domestic production, will exceed demand by 75%.
• “This means that LNG consumption in the region would have to not only replace Russian gas, but grow beyond that,” Ember said. “In Poland or the Baltic States, the oversized gas facilities might quickly become stranded assets.”
• LNG infrastructure expansion should be reevaluated to align with projected demand and capitalize on wind and solar potential.