Belarus may be looking to cash in on Russian LNG exports

December 15, Pozirk. Russia’s Gazprom will provide funding for a project to build a liquefied natural gas (LNG) plant in Belarus, Belarusian Energy Minister Viktar Karankievič told the participants at a recent international forum on Russian gas.

Agreements to that effect were reached on the sidelines of the 12th St. Petersburg International Gas Forum that took place in late October and early November, the energy ministry’s press office reported.

The Belarusian government has also agreed on natural gas prices for the next year, Karankievič said, without elaborating.

Since December 2022, the European Union accounted for 50 percent of Russia’s LNG exports, followed by China (23 percent) and Japan (16 percent), the Center for Research on Energy and Clean Air reported. The EU has not imposed any sanctions on Russian LNG shipments.

“LNG constituted the primary fossil fuel type purchased by the EU from Russia in January- November 2023,” says a report by Razom We Stand, a Ukrainian organization advocating for a complete ban on Russian fossil fuel.

With Arctic LNG 2 slated to become operational in the coming weeks, EU imports could increase further in 2024. 

“By sustaining connections with Russian oil and gas, international energy companies, commodity traders, shippers, insurers, and banks are extending the genocidal war in Ukraine and exacerbating the climate crisis,” Razom We Stand said.