EU confronts LNG embargo and bioenergy emissions debate

The European Commission plans to ban imports of Russian liquefied natural gas (LNG) from 1 January 2027. In the months leading up to the deadline, European distributors bought almost 10 million tonnes of Russian LNG – worth about €6 billion – to stockpile supplies. Alternative sources are limited: Algeria has little surplus, Qatar’s capacity is reduced after Iranian strikes disabled two liquefaction trains, while the United States and Nigeria have larger exportable surpluses, having shipped 72 million tonnes and 14.78 million tonnes respectively to Europe in 2025. Competition on the spot market from Asia and China could affect the availability and price of LNG for Europe.

At the same time, the EU’s Emissions Trading System continues to treat biomass‑fired power plants as having zero carbon emissions. Analyses show that biomass plants emit roughly the same amount of CO₂ as coal and gas plants but generate far less energy, accounting for about 15.7 % of ETS‑covered emissions. Critics warn that the system’s proposed integration of bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS) may encourage further logging, with carbon removal claims offset by upstream emissions from harvesting, transport and storage. Environmental groups urge the Commission to require allowances for biomass combustion to prevent further forest degradation.