The Netherlands is aiming to phase out all existing contracts for the import of liquefied natural gas (LNG) from Russia after it banned Russian LNG from new contracts last year, a government spokesperson said on Wednesday.
“We only have some long term contracts left at the terminal in Rotterdam, which are not easy to end but we are talking to the companies”, Economy Ministry spokesman Pieter ten Bruggecate said.
“Our options to act are limited, as there are no sanctions against Russian LNG. But many companies are willing to cooperate.”
The Dutch decision to cut all Russian LNG from new import contracts already halved the Russian share in the country’s total import of LNG to 15%, the government said in February.
Appetite to limit the import of Russian LNG throughout the EU is mounting, but there is no agreement on how as the risks of inflating energy prices and inadvertently boosting Russian energy revenues further are considerable.
In an interview with Reuters, Dutch Energy Minister Rob Jetten said there was the practical difficulty that some countries cannot diversify their supplies quickly enough to cope with an immediate halt.
“For some EU member states, this would be a bit too much,” he said, referring to the prospect of sanctions on Russian LNG.
