Overview
- ICIS, which published its forecast Thursday, said liquefied natural gas will rise from about 44% of gas supplies last year to 47% in 2027 and to 52% by 2029 across 12 West and Central European markets.
- The analysis attributes the shift mainly to a rapid build-out of LNG export capacity in North America that should replace temporary outages from Qatar and help keep LNG prices comparatively low.
- German utilities are actively repositioning: Sefe chartered six LNG tankers and delivered about 180 cargoes in 2025 to rebuild supplies after 2022 disruptions.
- Uniper has four chartered ships and traded 167 LNG cargoes in 2025 while RWE shipped roughly nine million tonnes last year and says it will increase US-sourced LNG alongside its Australian contracts.
- The EU import ban on some Russian LNG from January 1, 2027 will force buyers to renegotiate or replace legacy Yamal contracts, reshape shipping routes and could influence contract terms, supply security and consumer prices.