Imports of Russian gas to Finland will end Finally

On Monday, the Council of the European Union member states approved the 14th sanctions package against Russia. The sanctions prohibit the import of Russian LNG, i.e. liquefied natural gas, into the EU territory to terminals that are not connected to the gas network.

This means that the import of Russian LNG to Finland will end.

A state-owned company Gasum has until now continued to import LNG from Russia throughout the war in Ukraine. The background is a long-term contract with a Russian company Gazprom with. Gasum has reasonedthat according to the contract it would have to pay for the gas in any case, even if it did not receive the gas.

Gasum now informs that the sanctions imposed by the EU do not actually entitle Gasum to terminate the contract between Gazprom and Gasum, but “form an overwhelming obstacle to buying or importing Russian LNG to terminals that are not connected to the gas network.”

LNG has been imported from Russia to Finland via the Pori and Tornio terminals, and the fuel has been used by steel companies, among others Outokumpu and SSAB.

Gasum says that it fully complies with the sanctions set by the EU and will stop buying and importing Russian LNG to Finland from July 26.

Pipeline gas has not come to Finland from Russia since Gasum refused Gazprom’s demand to pay for gas in rubles instead of euros after Russia invaded Ukraine. The pipeline gas procurement contract was terminated last year.