Eurogas, the association representing European gas distributors on Wednesday estimates the gas consumption went up 4 percent in 2015 compared to the year before.
According to the initial estimates, European gas consumption reached a 426.3 billion cubic meters, which was reflected in a rise in LNG imports, a result of the supply diversification, Eurogas said in its report.
As the association informs, this was the first rise in gas consumption in four years.
Eurogas noted that LNG had the largest share of gains in imports in some countries, such as the Netherland where it almost doubled, while LNG imports in Italy jumped some 34 percent.
One of the contributing factors was the weather as well as the economic recovery in countries such as the Czech Republic, France and Slovakia which posted an increase in industrial gas demand. Other countries did, however, post a decline in this sector.
Due to a drop in gas prices, it also gained a share in the power sector in the United Kingdom, Italy and Greece while tax regime in Finland curbed the gas consumption.
Compressed natural gas market developed in countries such as the Czech Republic where CNG consumption rose 46 percent year-on-year, Eurogas said.
LNG World News Staff