In the fourth quarter of 2018, EU gas consumption decreased by 3% compared to the same quarter in 2017, according to the latest gas market report published by the European Commission on Tuesday 23 April.
EU gas consumption in the fourth quarter of 2018 was 142 billion cubic metres, while in 2018 as a whole it amounted to 474 billion cubic metres, a decrease of 1.8% compared to 2017.
The report also shows that indigenous gas production in the EU decreased by 8% in the fourth quarter of 2018 compared to the fourth quarter of 2017. The United Kingdom has taken the place of the EU's largest gas producer, while the Netherlands (which was the largest) became a net gas importer for the first time since gas production began in the country.
The Commission reports that net gas imports increased by 8% year-on-year in the fourth quarter of 2018. Russia remained the EU's largest gas supplier, accounting for 40% of extra-EU imports (down by 2 percentage points per year).
In 2018, the EU imported 363 billion m3 of gas, and the total import bill is estimated at €90 billion. The gas import bill amounted to around €28 billion in the fourth quarter of 2018, 30% higher than a year earlier. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)