What Percentage of European Gas Comes From Russia?

Valves near a drilling rig at a gas processing facility, operated by Gazprom company, at Bovanenkovo gas field on the Arctic Yamal peninsula, Russia, on May 21, 2019. (Maxim Shemetov/Reuters)

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has drastically impacted the cost of energy throughout the world and exposed the vulnerabilities of European nations that are highly dependent on gas from Moscow, leading to increased concerns about energy supply and security.

Prior to the Kremlin’s war with Ukraine, the European Union imported about 60 percent of the energy it consumed in 2021, with roughly 45 percent, or 155 billion cubic meters, of that coming from Russia.

However, in the wake of the Feb. 24 invasion, Western nations have vowed to reduce their dependency on Russian gas by two-thirds by the end of 2022. Russian President Vladimir Putin simultaneously demanded that buyers from what he deemed “unfriendly” nations pay for Russian gas with rubles.

As a result, energy imports of Russian natural gas to the EU have significantly declined ahead of what’s widely believed to be a colder-than-normal winter across Europe, prompting fears as to how EU nations will cope.

Europe’s Dependence on Russian Natural Gas

Europe’s dependence on Russian gas has become a focal point since February when Putin launched his “special military operation” in Ukraine. Gas prices surged by more than 30 percent following the invasion and have remained volatile since.

Despite a long-running relationship between Russia and Europe when it comes to natural gas imports, that relationship has increasingly turned sour in 2022 and appears to be coming to an end, with Europe vowing to end dependence on Russian gas by 2030.

Gazprom Neft's oil refinery in Omsk, Russia, on Feb. 10, 2020. (Alexey Malgavko/Reuters)

Which Countries Are Dependent on Russian Gas in 2022?

According to data from the International Energy Agency, in November 2021, Lithuania and Finland imported roughly 80 percent of their oil from Russia, Slovakia imported 74 percent from Russia, Poland imported 58 percent, and Hungary received 43 percent. Estonia, Germany, Greece, and Norway all imported between 25 percent and 34 percent of their oil from Russia in that month, according to the data.

However, data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration show that Germany, Italy, France, and Poland were the largest European importers of Russian gas overall in 2021.

Separate data from the European Union Agency for the Cooperation of Energy Regulators showed that Bulgaria, Finland, North Macedonia, and Slovakia were the most dependent on Russian oil in 2020.

As of 2022, EU imports of Russian gas have dropped to 9 percent, according to a September statement from European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

Why Does Europe Rely on Russian Gas?

Prior to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the subsequent Western sanctions on the Kremlin, Russian natural gas was relatively cheap, making it an attractive option that was also easy to transport and readily available.

Additionally, a move by some EU countries to end coal and nuclear power plants in an effort to meet green energy targets meant looking elsewhere—to Russia—for gas supplies.

Owing to its vast Siberian fields, Russia has the world’s largest reserves of natural gas as well as multiple gas production facilities throughout the country.

The country was quick to capitalize on its vast energy reserves, and in the 1940s, the then-Soviet Union began exporting to Poland. Russia completed the construction of the Druzhba pipeline, one of the largest oil pipelines in the world, which delivers fuel to major refineries in Europe, in the 1960s.

In 1994, construction began on the Yamal-Europe natural gas pipeline, while the Nord Stream 1 pipeline was completed in 2011.

The liquefied natural gas plant operated by Sakhalin Energy at Prigorodnoye on the Pacific island of Sakhalin, Russia, on July 15, 2021. (Vladimir Soldatkin/Reuters)

When Did Europe Start Relying on Russian Gas?

Europe wasn’t always dependent on gas from Russia, and in the 1960s and 1970s, it actually supplied roughly the same amount of natural gas that it was using, according to the Jacques Delors Energy Center.

However, increased demand and the depletion of the North Sea gas fields that were controlled by the UK and the Netherlands, combined with the latter later announcing the shutdown of the Groningen gas field—Europe’s largest natural gas field—owing to earthquakes, saw Europe look elsewhere for energy supplies.

As a result, Russia’s dominance in the gas market has soared over the years and nations such as Germany, which also distributes Russian gas to other European countries, became highly dependent on Russian gas. State-owned Gazprom is Russia’s largest natural gas supplier.

How Much Natural Gas Does Europe Import From Russia?

In 2020, the main imported energy product to Europe was petroleum products, which include crude oil. These accounted for almost two-thirds of energy imports into the EU, followed by natural gas at 27 percent and solid fossil fuels at 5 percent, according to Eurostat, a directorate-general of the European Commission.

More than three-quarters of the EU’s imports of natural gas came from Russia, or approximately 43 percent.

The majority of it comes through pipelines including Yamal, which runs through Belarus and Poland to Germany, and Nord Stream 1, which runs directly to Germany. Gas is also pumped to the EU through pipelines via Ukraine.

However, ruptures to the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines in September ultimately led to Russia terminating gas supplies through the pipeline indefinitely, further stoking fears of an energy shortage in Europe ahead of a cold winter.

Despite this, the International Energy Agency says that EU gas storage sites are now 95 percent full as of early November. That is 5 percent above the five-year average, although officials are still warning of the urgent need for EU leaders to take action and reduce gas consumption amid a global energy crisis and a potential shortage during the summer of 2023.