How much Russian gas does the UK import?

The majority of Europe’s gas supplies come from Russia. In 2019, North Macedonia, Moldova, and Bosnia and Herzegovina, all relied on Russia solely for their natural gas supply. Natural gas is transported through the Nord Stream pipelines underneath the Baltic Sea. Russia accounted for over 39% of all extra-EU gas imports in 2021. They exported 201.7 billion cubic meters of gas via pipelines in 2021 and 39.6 billion cubic meters of liquefied natural gas.

Following the invasion of Ukraine, Russia has slowly been reducing the amount of gas they transport through the Nord Stream pipeline, with all transporting of gas stopping in September. With a lot of EU member states being reliant on Russia’s gas exports to meet their energy needs, they’re having to look elsewhere to ensure that they have enough energy supplies. This is to meet the demand for energy they will have in the winter months. This increased demand is causing the global market for energy prices to skyrocket, including the UK’s energy prices.

While other countries in Europe rely heavily on Russian gas, this is not the case in the UK. There is no direct pipe for gas transportation between the UK and Russia, so the UK receives very little gas from them. Only 4% of all gas the UK imported during 2021 came from Russia.

The UK government announced in March that they would begin to phase out imports of Russian oil and has slowly been reducing the amount that it imports from Russia in wake of the invasion of Ukraine. In August 2022, the UK imported £2 million of oil from Russia but no gas or coal, making it the sixth month in a row without Russian gas imports.

With little to no gas being imported from Russia, the UK has looked elsewhere for their gas imports. Most of the UK’s gas comes from the UK Continental Shelf. This is the area surrounding the UK in which the UK owns which allows them to explore for natural resources. Natural gas is transported through pipelines and interconnectors throughout the UK Continental Shelf.

A large portion of the gas that the UK imports usually comes from Norway, making it the UK’s primary gas supplier. This is because they are viewed as more reliable suppliers. In 2021, the UK spent over £14 billion in gas imports from Norway, this accounted for over 75% of gas imports to the UK.

A lot of UK gas imports also come from the international market. The UK also imports gas from Qatar and the United States. This involves liquefied natural gas being transported by specialist tankers overseas via three liquefied natural gas terminals. This accounts for around a fifth of the UK’s gas supply.

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