EU-based companies will be banned from selling Russian liquefied natural gas from next year, even if the buyers are outside the EU, according to a letter seen by Reuters on Thursday.
«The new rules prohibit companies from trading Russian LNG or selling it in third countries, as it does not matter whether Russian LNG is destined for the EU or not,» said a June 1 letter from the office of EU Energy Commissioner Dan Jorgensen to Poten and Partners.
Although the EU voted to end Russian gas imports until 2027 in response to Moscow’s war against Ukraine.
Several EU companies with long-term contracts for Russian LNG said the rules, combined with sanctions against Russia, did not provide a clear answer to the question of whether the companies would be able to redirect these cargoes to buyers outside the EU.
«Transportation of Russian LNG by Union operators, regardless of final destination, is prohibited in the context of the LNG ban,» the letter states.
The European Commission did not respond to a request for comment on this letter.
Last year, the EU imported 14.94 million metric tons from the Yamal LNG project in Russia’s western Arctic, and this figure looks set to increase this year.
France’s TotalEnergies, Germany’s SEFE and Spain’s Naturgy have long-term purchase contracts.
