Europe Gas Tracker 2023
Summary
The Europe Gas Tracker 2023 reports that the EU is pursuing a costly and uncoordinated expansion of gas infrastructure, including a potential 136% increase in LNG import capacity. This build-out, estimated to cost €53.5 billion, risks locking the bloc into fossil fuel dependency and contradicts the European Climate Law's goals of a 55% emissions reduction by 2030 and climate neutrality by 2050.
Key insights
- The proposed expansion of gas infrastructure in the EU includes adding up to 227.2 billion cubic meters per year (bcm/y) of LNG terminal import capacity, which represents a 136% increase over the pre-war maximum capacity of 167 bcm/y. Additionally, 60.5 bcm/y of gas pipeline import capacity and thousands of kilometers of internal transmission pipelines are proposed.
- The total estimated cost for this infrastructure is €53.5 billion, split between €22.1 billion for LNG terminals and €31.4 billion for pipelines, with €4.2 billion already associated with projects under construction. Greece, Italy, and Germany account for approximately 53% of these cost estimates.
- The proposed build-out is viewed as being in direct conflict with the European Climate Law's targets of cutting emissions by 55% by 2030 and achieving climate neutrality by 2050. If the full 227.2 bcm/y of LNG capacity is realized, associated emissions could reach nearly 950 million tons of CO2 per year, which is over one-third of the EU's 2019 greenhouse gas emissions of approximately 3.5 billion tons CO2.
Cite the original document
- APA
- Hassan, B. L. G. A. R. R. H. (2023). Europe Gas Tracker 2023. Global Energy Monitor. https://globalenergymonitor.org/research/europe-gas-tracker-2023
- Chicago
- Hassan, Baird Langenbrunner, Greig Aitken, Robert Rozansky, Harvey. Europe Gas Tracker 2023. Global Energy Monitor, 2023. https://globalenergymonitor.org/research/europe-gas-tracker-2023.
- Wikipedia
- {{cite report |last1=Hassan |first1=Baird Langenbrunner, Greig Aitken, Robert Rozansky, Harvey |title=Europe Gas Tracker 2023 |publisher=Global Energy Monitor |date=29 March 2023 |url=https://globalenergymonitor.org/research/europe-gas-tracker-2023 |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}
- BibTeX
- @techreport{hassan2023europe, author = {Hassan, Baird Langenbrunner, Greig Aitken, Robert Rozansky, Harvey}, title = {{Europe Gas Tracker 2023}}, institution = {Global Energy Monitor}, year = {2023}, month = mar, url = {https://globalenergymonitor.org/research/europe-gas-tracker-2023}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }
Full text
Collected · Record updated