According to the US Energy Information Administration (EIA), imports of LNG to the 28 countries that make up the European Union (EU-28) averaged approximately 5.1 billion ft3/d in 2017, increasing for the third consecutive year but remaining below their 2011 peak.
In 2017, imports of LNG into EU-28 accounted for 13% of the global total. LNG import capacity in EU-28 currently stands at 20 billion ft3/d, or almost one-fifth of the global total, but utilisation of EU-28 LNG import facilities has declined from about 50% in 2010 to between 20% and 25% in recent years as expansions in regasification capacity far exceeded demand for LNG imports.
Currently, 13 of the EU-28 member countries import LNG. In 2017, LNG accounted for 11% of EU-28’s overall natural gas supply.