Russian share in EU gas consumption jumps to 27%

The share of Russian gas in the total consumption of the 28 EU countries jumped by four percentage points to 27 percent last year, making it the top foreign supplier, data showed Tuesday. However for the third year running consumption of natural gas declined in the European Union, sliding 1.4 percent to 462 billion cubic metres last year, according to data from Eurogas, an association of European gas companies. Gas consumption had dropped by 10 percent in 2011 and 2.0 percent in 2012. EU gas output, primarily in the North Sea, declined by 1.0 percent to 156 billion cubic metres, still making it the top source of supply, at 33 percent. Norway was the number two foreign supplier, increasing its share by one point to 23 percent. The data showed that Algeria's share in EU consumption had also declined, by one point to 8.0 percent. The share of Qatar, which supplies liquefied natural gas, dropped by two points to 4.0 percent, as supplying growing Asian economies has become more lucrative. According to calculations by AFP, Russia's share of EU gas imports has risen from a third to around 40 percent, although the trend in recent years has been for a decline. With Russia's annexation of Crimea heightening tensions with Europe, there have been renewed calls to reduce dependence on Russian gas. Analysts say however it would be difficult for the EU to quickly reduce its reliance on Russian gas.