EU Can Break LNG Dependence with Renewable Energy and Heat Pumps, Study Finds

The European Union can break its dependence on liquefied natural gas (LNG) by expanding renewable energy and heat pumps, according to a recent report by the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA). The study estimates that in 2024, wind, solar power, and heat pumps displaced around 8.8 billion cubic meters of LNG, roughly equivalent to two-thirds of the EU's imports from Qatar.

The IEEFA analysis suggests that meeting existing deployment targets for renewables and heat pumps over the next five years could cut gas demand by around a quarter by 2030, saving twice the volume of LNG Europe could potentially import from Qatar. The report argues that while the EU has reduced its dependence on Russian pipeline gas, it has replaced one vulnerability with another by increasing imports of LNG.

The study warns that replacing Russian gas with LNG from other countries simply shifts Europe's dependence to different suppliers, which are vulnerable to their own geopolitical risks. With the EU preparing to ban Russian gas imports from 2027 and grappling with instability in the Middle East, the think tank supports the European Commission's latest electrification ambitions while endorsing renewable power and heat pumps as strategic security assets.