Spain and France Unlikely to Ban Russian LNG Imports

Spain and France are unlikely to ban Russian LNG imports according to Montel sources despite the EU last month agreeing a deal to give countries the legal power to block Russian gas imports.

• There was no legal basis to impose sanctions on Russian LNG deliveries as the EU’s provisional deal had not yet become binding according to Spain’s energy minister Teresa Ribera on Thursday.
• Ribera advised companies to avoid signing new Russian supply deals saying fewer Russian imports “would be desirable.”
• France was assessing conditions for implementing a ban but “did not seem to be the case at this stage” amid aims to protect security of supply said a French energy transition ministry spokeswoman. A ban would only impact new regas capacity bookings and “the majority” of slots are reserved under long-term contracts.
• The UK, Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia have already unilaterally imposed a ban on all Russian LNG imports.