Ask Europe about its relationship with “Mother Russia” and you’ll likely hear: "can’t live with her, can’t live without her.” Natural gas has long been a crucial component of Europe’s energy mix, accounting for about one third of the European Union's energy needs prior to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Of that, around 40% came from Russia. Amid the push to embrace renewables over the past decade, many EU states have begun to diversify their energy portfolios. Still, in the year leading up to the war in Ukraine, most EU countries increased their natural gas consumption as a result of a colder-than-usual spring and pent up demand post-pandemic. We look at select EU countries’ natural gas consumption over the past decade.
