MOSCOW, Aug 28 : Russia retained its global leadership in gas exports in 2023 despite Western sanctions and a decline in pipeline supplies, while Qatar and the United States took second and third place, respectively, the International Gas Union (IGU) said.
“When aggregating pipeline and LNG flows, the largest five net exporters of gas in 2023 were Russia, Qatar, the US, Norway, and Australia. Russia led with a net export of 139 Bcm,” the IGU said in a statement on Tuesday.
Qatar, in turn, supplied 128 billion cubic meters of gas to the world market, the United States – 127 billion, Norway exported 120 billion cubic meters, while Australia rounded out the top five global suppliers with 110 billion cubic meters, the statement read.
The report also revealed that in 2023, Russia remained the world’s second-largest exporter of pipeline gas, with most of the exports reaching China (26 billion cubic meters), Turkey (21 billion cubic meters) and Belarus (18 billion cubic meters).
“China was the largest net importer with a deficit of 160 Bcm. Japan follows with 91 Bcm, Germany with 77 Bcm, Mexico with 64 Bcm, and South Korea with 61 Bcm,” the organization said.
Reducing energy dependence on Russia became one of the European Union’s top priorities after the start of Moscow’s special military operation in Ukraine in February 2022, when the bloc decided to phase out its imports of Russian fuel. The decision led to a sharp increase in gas prices in the European Union.
(UNI)
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