Moscow: Russia and Algeria became the only two countries to significantly increase their share of gas supplies to the European Union in 2024, by more than 4 percentage points, a RIA Novosti analysis of data from the European Statistical Office (Eurostat) showed on Thursday.
In January-August, the EU reduced gas imports by 1.7 times, down to 49.2 billion euros ($51.8 billion). The main reason for the decline was the deindustrialization of the region. Industrial production in the bloc decreased by 21% from March 2022 to August 2024.
All major gas exporters recorded a reduction in supplies, with the sharpest drops coming from Qatar (2.8 times), the United Kingdom (2.5 times), Nigeria (2 times), the United States (1.8 times), and Norway (1.7 times).
Russia and Algeria saw the slowest declines in exports – by 22% and 24%, respectively. As a result, both countries significantly increased their presence in European imports: Russia’s share rose by 4.6 percentage points to 18.3%, while Algeria’s grew by 4.9 percentage points to 21.3%.
Other suppliers increased their share by less than 1 percentage point. Peru expanded its presence in the EU gas market by 0.9 percentage points, Trinidad and Tobago by 0.7 percentage points, Azerbaijan by 0.65 percentage points, and Serbia by 0.55 percentage points.
The US remains the leading gas supplier to the EU, with a share of 22% compared to 22.9% a year earlier. In addition to Algeria and Russia, the top five suppliers include Norway, whose share increased to 12.5% from 12.3% a year ago, and the UK (8.4% compared to 12.5% a year ago).
UNI
