London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Jul 24, 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

0:00
0:00
Close
TSUNAMI: Trump Just Crossed the Rubicon—And There’s No Turning Back
Over 120 Criminal Cases Dismissed in Boston Amid Public Defender Shortage
UN's Top Court Declares Environmental Protection a Legal Obligation Under International Law
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
The Podcaster Who Accidentally Revealed He Earns Over $10 Million a Year
Trump Announces $550 Billion Japanese Investment and New Trade Agreements with Indonesia and the Philippines
US Treasury Secretary Calls for Institutional Review of Federal Reserve Amid AI‑Driven Growth Expectations
UK Government Considers Dropping Demand for Apple Encryption Backdoor
Severe Flooding in South Korea Claims Lives Amid Ongoing Rescue Operations
Japanese Man Discovers Family Connection Through DNA Testing After Decades of Separation
Russia Signals Openness to Ukraine Peace Talks Amid Escalating Drone Warfare
Switzerland Implements Ban on Mammography Screening
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
Pogacar Extends Dominance with Stage Fifteen Triumph at Tour de France
CEO Resigns Amid Controversy Over Relationship with HR Executive
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
NVIDIA Achieves $4 Trillion Valuation Amid AI Demand
US Revokes Visas of Brazilian Corrupted Judges Amid Fake Bolsonaro Investigation
U.S. Congress Approves Rescissions Act Cutting Federal Funding for NPR and PBS
North Korea Restricts Foreign Tourist Access to New Seaside Resort
Brazil's Supreme Court Imposes Radical Restrictions on Former President Bolsonaro
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Judge Criticizes DOJ Over Secrecy in Dropping Charges Against Gang Leader
Apple Closes $16.5 Billion Tax Dispute With Ireland
Von der Leyen Faces Setback Over €2 Trillion EU Budget Proposal
UK and Germany Collaborate on Global Military Equipment Sales
Trump Plans Over 10% Tariffs on African and Caribbean Nations
Flying Taxi CEO Reclaims Billionaire Status After Stock Surge
Epstein Files Deepen Republican Party Divide
Zuckerberg Faces $8 Billion Privacy Lawsuit From Meta Shareholders
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
SpaceX Nears $400 Billion Valuation With New Share Sale
Microsoft, US Lab to Use AI for Faster Nuclear Plant Licensing
Trump Walks Back Talk of Firing Fed Chair Jerome Powell
Zelensky Reshuffles Cabinet to Win Support at Home and in Washington
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Irish Tech Worker Detained 100 days by US Authorities for Overstaying Visa
Dimon Warns on Fed Independence as Trump Administration Eyes Powell’s Succession
Church of England Removes 1991 Sexuality Guidelines from Clergy Selection
Superman Franchise Achieves Success with Latest Release
Hungary's Viktor Orban Rejects Agreements on Illegal Migration
Jeff Bezos Considers Purchasing Condé Nast as a Wedding Gift
Ghislaine Maxwell Says She’s Ready to Testify Before Congress on Epstein’s Criminal Empire
Bal des Pompiers: A Celebration of Community and Firefighter Culture in France
FBI Chief Kash Patel Denies Resignation Speculations Amid Epstein List Controversy
Air India Pilot’s Mental Health Records Under Scrutiny
Google Secures Windsurf AI Coding Team in $2.4 Billion Licence Deal
Jamie Dimon Warns Europe Is Losing Global Competitiveness and Flags Market Complacency
South African Police Minister Suspended Amid Organised Crime Allegations
Nvidia CEO Claims Chinese Military Reluctance to Use US AI Technology
×