FSRU momentum in Europe halted

Plans to increase gas deliveries to Europe via floating storage and regasification units (FSRUs) have been hit by a series of setbacks.

According to the Institute for Energy Economic and Financial Analysis (IEEFA), an FSRU stopped operating at Mukran port in Germany a year after it had been commissioned.

In France, a court ruled that an FSRU stationed at the port of Le Havre in the north should be removed, due partly to its low utilization rate and France’s declining gas consumption.

TotalEnergies had commissioned the vessel in October 2023, but it has not been in use since August 2024.

Another terminal in Greece reduced its utilization rate to 2% in the first half of 2025, and commissioning delays led Germany to sublet an FSRU to Jordan.

“The LNG industry often touts the role of LNG terminals in securing energy supply. Europe’s recent experience of terminal delays and technical issues challenges this notion."

—Ana Maria Jaller-Makarewicz, lead energy analyst, Europe, IEEFA

At the same time, the institute claimed, Europe’s imports of Russian LNG rose 2% year on year in the first half of 2025, representing a record high for any half-year period.

The increase occurred despite the EU sanctioning Russia’s LNG operations. France accounted for 41% of the Russian LNG, followed by Belgium (28%), Spain (20%), the Netherlands (9%) and Portugal (2%).

Between early 2022 and June 2025, EU countries spent about €120 billion (US$138.8 billion) on pipeline gas and LNG imports from Russia, the institute added.