The share of LNG imports of Germany’s total gas supply rose to 12% in the first half of the year, up from 10% a year earlier, despite the shock supply loss from the Middle East due to the closed Strait of Hormuz, according to data by the German regulator.
Bundesnetzagentur, the Federal Network Agency, noted that LNG supply from the LNG import ports on the North Sea and Baltic Sea increased even during the Iran war as Europe’s biggest economy relied on more supply from the United States.
LNG supply from Qatar and the UAE was choked off by the closed Strait of Hormuz for most of the past four months, while Qatar additionally halted liquefaction due to Iranian missile strikes on its infrastructure.
“Gas from the Persian Gulf does not play a significant role in Germany's supply, as Germany currently obtains most of its LNG from the USA,” the German regulator said in a regular gas supply report.
Despite the disruptions, particularly to Qatari LNG supplies, global LNG liquefaction volumes had already slightly exceeded the previous year’s level by May 2026, with LNG production at about 1.59 billion cubic meters/day, up from 1.56 billion cu m/day in May 2025, Bundesnetzagentur noted.
Germany’s gas supply is stable, the regulator said, and it currently assesses the risk to gas supply as low.
But it is worth noting that Germany’s industrial gas demand has slumped since the conflict began, due to the volatile gas prices, suggesting a new period of tough times ahead for German industry and its efforts to remain globally competitive.
Early this year, before the Iran war began, German utility giant Uniper, one of Northwest Europe’s largest LNG importers, said it was not concerned that Europe now gets more than half of its LNG supply from the United States, as it is the most economical solution while buyers seek to diversify imports from other global providers.
Still, buyers, including Uniper, need to diversify supply sources to manage risks, Carsten Poppinga, the German utility giant’s chief commercial officer, said in early February.
By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com
