Developing LNG Terminals In Ireland

Liquefied natural gas ('LNG') is natural gas that has been converted to liquid by being cooled to −162°C to remove certain impurities and allow for ease of storage or transport. LNG takes up around 600 times less volume than standard gas. This makes it possible to transport over long distances, without the need for pipelines.

The EU is the biggest importer of natural gas in the world. Domestic production in the EU will continue to decline in coming decades.

LNG accounted for around 14% of gas imports to Europe in 2017. Qatar was the EU's main supplier (41%), followed by Nigeria (19%), Algeria (17%), Peru (7%), Norway (7%), the US (4%) and Trinidad & Tobago (3%).

The top three LNG suppliers to Europe in 2018 remained the same as in 2017. But the Yamal LNG project started operations in December 2017, meaning Russia is now a large supplier. EU imports of LNG from the US have also increased to 2.8 bcm/pa.