MOSCOW, April 1 (Reuters) - Russia exported more liquefied natural gas in the first quarter of 2026 than it did a year earlier, with shipments to Europe increasing despite Moscow's push to redirect
Russian LNG Exports Grow in Q1 2026, European Shipments Increase Despite Sanctions
Overview of Russian LNG Export Trends in Early 2026
Growth in Total LNG Exports
MOSCOW, April 1 (Reuters) - Russia exported more liquefied natural gas in the first quarter of 2026 than it did a year earlier, with shipments to Europe increasing despite Moscow's push to redirect supply away from the region.
LNG exports rose 8.9% year-on-year to 8.6 million metric tons, preliminary LSEG data showed on Wednesday.
Impact of Sanctions and Arctic LNG 2 Plant Operations
Sanctions Limiting Export Capacity
U.S. sanctions against Moscow over the Ukraine conflict have restrained Russian LNG exports, particularly from the Arctic LNG 2 plant, where operations have been hindered owing to difficulty securing buyers.
Contribution from Arctic LNG 2 Plant
Supplies from the Arctic LNG 2 plant amounted to around 800,000 tons of LNG in the first three months of the year, helping raise overall Russian LNG deliveries.
Monthly Export Performance
In March alone, total Russian exports of LNG rose 13.9% from a year ago to 3.04 million tons.
European and Asian Export Destinations
Increase in Shipments to Europe
Data also showed that Russian LNG exports to Europe for the quarter ending March 31 jumped 17% year-on-year to 4.8 million tons. In March, they rose to around 1.7 million tons from 1.33 million tons a year earlier.
EU Sanctions and Policy Changes
The rise in exports to Europe came even as Russian President Vladimir Putin said his country could divert gas away from the region, as the European Union imposed a ban on imports of Russian pipeline gas by late-2027 and new short-term Russian LNG contracts from late-April this year.
In January, EU countries gave their final approval to ban Russian gas imports by late-2027.
Performance of Key LNG Plants
Novatek's Yamal LNG Plant
Total exports from Novatek's Yamal LNG plant in the January-March period was down 2% year-on-year at 4.8 million tons. All tankers from the plant were dispatched to Europe so far this year, according to the preliminary data.
Sakhalin-2 LNG Plant (Gazprom)
Asia-oriented Sakhalin-2, controlled by Gazprom, exported 2.8 million tons in the first three months of the year, up from 2.7 million tons during the same period last year.
(Reporting by Reuters; Editing by Diti Pujara)
