The EU is reportedly actively looking for alternative LNG supplies that are not from the US, as Energy Commissioner Dan Jorgensen framed the Greenland threat as a “wake up call” on energy reliance.
Ship-tracking data compiled by Bloomberg for LNG imports into key European markets shows total LNG imports rising from 38.4 million tons in 2017 to 42.6 million tons in 2018, then jumping to 76.7 million tons in 2019.
Across those early years, US-sourced volumes were small in absolute terms: 0.7 million tons in 2017 and 1.6 million tons in 2018, implying US shares of 1.7% and 3.8%, respectively. By 2019, US volumes increased to 11.1 million tons, lifting the implied share to 14.5%.
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In 2020, total imports slipped to 71.5 million tons (down 5.2 million YoY) while US volumes rose to 14.4 million tons (up 3.3 million YoY), pushing the implied share to 20.2%. In 2021, totals eased again to 67.2 million tons (down 4.3 million YoY) as US volumes edged up to 15.4 million tons (up 1.0 million YoY), taking the implied share to 22.9%.
However, the 2022 totals surged to 114.8 million tons (up 47.5 million YoY) and US volumes rose to 43.9 million tons (up 28.5 million YoY), taking the implied US share to 38.3%. In 2023, levels held near that level on totals at 112.8 million tons (down 2.0 million YoY) while US volumes climbed to 49.2 million tons (up 5.2 million YoY), lifting the implied share to 43.6%.
The 2024 levels showed a downshift in overall imports to 91.1 million tons (down 21.6 million YoY) alongside a fall in US volumes to 37.7 million tons (down 11.5 million YoY), with the implied share at 41.4%. While in 2025, it then rebounded sharply to 117.0 million tons (up 25.9 million YoY) as US volumes rose to 61.0 million tons (up 23.3 million YoY), pushing the implied share to 52.1%.
In Canada, analyst Heather Exner-Pirot outlined four main pathways discussed for Europe: Western Canada Sedimentary Basin exports to Europe out of the Gulf of Mexico, swaps for LNG shipments out of British Columbia, pipeline extension and liquefaction of western Canadian gas, and development of eastern natural gas resources in offshore Atlantic Canada and Quebec.
This comes days after the EU gave final approval Monday to ban Russian pipeline gas and liquefied natural gas imports, severing the bloc’s remaining energy ties to Moscow nearly four years after Russia invaded Ukraine.
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