Ahmed Kamel – Egypt Daily News
European Union countries imported a record 12.18 million tonnes of liquefied natural gas from Russia’s Yamal project during the first nine months of 2026, even as the bloc moved ahead with restrictions aimed at ending imports of Russian gas.
The volume was 9.5% higher than in the same period last year, according to a study by German environmental group Urgewald, which used cargo data from energy-market analyst Kpler. The group estimated the shipments’ value at €7.88 billion. European ports received 167 cargoes from Yamal between January and September, accounting for about 85% of the project’s recorded deliveries worldwide.
The figures underline the gap between the EU’s long-term energy policy and its current supply mix. Brussels is seeking to reduce dependence on Russian energy, but Europe remains a major destination for gas produced at Yamal, a large liquefied natural gas project in Russia’s Arctic region.
The import totals were uneven across the year. Urgewald estimated the value of EU purchases at €2.88 billion in the first quarter, €3.08 billion in the second and €1.92 billion in the third. Those figures are estimates rather than published contract prices: actual prices paid by buyers are not publicly available, so the study used shipment volumes and market benchmarks to calculate indicative values.
In September, EU countries imported 792,440 tonnes of LNG from Yamal, slightly more than a year earlier. Urgewald put the value of those cargoes at about €818 million. The deliveries continued after the EU’s restriction on Russian LNG imports under short-term contracts took effect on April 25, 2026.
The ban is being introduced in stages. Restrictions on imports covered by qualifying existing short-term contracts began in April, while the EU plans to prohibit imports under qualifying existing long-term contracts from January 1, 2027. That timetable leaves a transition period in which some shipments can continue, helping explain why the policy change has not yet produced an immediate halt in deliveries.
The project’s Arctic location also matters to the trade. Yamal relies on specialised ice-class tankers capable of operating in difficult northern conditions. European terminals are comparatively close to the project, making Europe a practical destination for cargoes. The high share of shipments going to EU ports reflects that logistical advantage as well as demand for gas.
The nine-month figures also show that Europe’s importance to Yamal has persisted even as the project’s total recorded exports edged down. Urgewald said deliveries worldwide fell slightly compared with the same period last year, while shipments to the EU rose. The data identifies where cargoes were delivered, but does not necessarily establish where all the gas was ultimately consumed after entering the European market.
The imports come as Europe enters the heating season with lower gas-storage levels than a year ago. The European Network of Transmission System Operators for Gas reported that EU storage was 72% full at the start of October, compared with 83% on the same date in 2025. The network warned that a cold winter combined with constrained supplies could put pressure on stocks, and said LNG availability would remain an important factor in meeting demand.
That outlook complicates the EU’s effort to end Russian gas imports. Replacing the remaining volumes will require alternative supplies, while European buyers must compete with other regions for LNG on the global market. If supply tightens or winter demand rises sharply, the transition could become more expensive and put additional pressure on energy consumers.
The Yamal import figures do not show how much Russian LNG will reach Europe after the long-term-contract restrictions begin in 2027. Future deliveries will depend on how the rules are applied, how the project and its buyers respond, and whether other suppliers can provide replacement gas. For now, the data shows that Russian LNG continues to reach Europe in large quantities even as the bloc prepares to close that route.
