EUROPE GAS TRACKER REPORT 2022

The Europe Gas Tracker Report 2022 finds that the EU possesses substantial overcapacity for gas imports via pipelines and LNG terminals, making proposed new projects unnecessary. It argues that expanding this capacity is incompatible with the European Climate Law's 2030 emissions targets and the IEA's Net Zero by 2050 scenario. The report highlights that the EU's energy crisis is driven by global market tightness and supply shortages rather than a lack of import infrastructure. Furthermore, it critiques 'carbon-neutral' LNG claims as misleading due to methane emissions across the supply chain and warns that new gas assets risk becoming stranded.

• The European Union currently has excessive gas import capacity, rendering proposed new infrastructure projects unnecessary. Even if all pipeline imports from Russia were removed from 2022 onward, the system's overall import capacity would still exceed projected net imports.
• Expanding gas import capacity is fundamentally incompatible with the European Climate Law, which requires a 55% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 and net-zero by 2050, as well as the IEA's Net Zero by 2050 scenario.
• GEM identifies a proposed expansion of net gas import capacity totaling approximately 160.2 billion cubic meters per year (bcm/y) with estimated costs of €26.4 billion. This includes €14.1 billion for gas import pipelines and €12.3 billion for LNG import terminals, representing a potential 24.9% increase over current capacity.
• The EU's gas crisis is rooted in a shortage of gas on international markets and global supply tightness rather than a deficiency in import capacity. Consequently, building more infrastructure will not solve the underlying issue of price volatility or supply lack.
• Claims by LNG shippers regarding 'carbon neutral' cargoes are considered unsubstantiated because methane emissions occur throughout the entire supply chain, from extraction to market delivery.
• Since February 2022, there has been a surge in announcements for over 15 new gas import and transmission projects, including the revival of previously shelved projects, driven by the invasion of Ukraine. These projects could add at least 70 bcm/y of potential import capacity.

APA

Aitken, G., Langenbrunner, B., & Zimmerman, S. (2022). EUROPE GAS TRACKER REPORT 2022. Global Energy Monitor. https://globalenergymonitor.org/sites/default/files/migration/reports/EUGasReport2022_final_11.pdf

Chicago

Aitken, Greig, Baird Langenbrunner, and Scott Zimmerman. EUROPE GAS TRACKER REPORT 2022. Global Energy Monitor, 2022. https://globalenergymonitor.org/sites/default/files/migration/reports/EUGasReport2022_final_11.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Aitken |first1=Greig |last2=Langenbrunner |first2=Baird |last3=Zimmerman |first3=Scott |title=EUROPE GAS TRACKER REPORT 2022 |publisher=Global Energy Monitor |date=April 2022 |url=https://globalenergymonitor.org/sites/default/files/migration/reports/EUGasReport2022_final_11.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{aitken2022europe, author = {Aitken, Greig and Langenbrunner, Baird and Zimmerman, Scott}, title = {{EUROPE GAS TRACKER REPORT 2022}}, institution = {Global Energy Monitor}, year = {2022}, month = apr, url = {https://globalenergymonitor.org/sites/default/files/migration/reports/EUGasReport2022_final_11.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }