Minister assumes that Portugal is in favor of stopping importing Russian gas and can do so as early as 2026

Portugal supports the total ban on importing gas from Russia that is being discussed by the European Union, reporting that it has a “great diversity” of suppliers, which would allow the country to stop purchasing Russian LNG as early as 2026.

“Portugal voted in favor and was very happy because it was approved and now we have to see how the whole procedure is carried out. […] We have a great diversity, both in the type of energy, the places of origin, and the routes”, the Minister of Environment and Energy, Maria da Graça Carvalho, told the Lusa agency.

“We import very little, around 5%, and we have a great diversity, both in the type of energy we use – […] renewable electricity, hydro, solar and wind, and a part biomass – “, as well as from suppliers, who are from Nigeria, the United States and Central America”, he explained, after participating this Tuesday, October 21, in a meeting of European Union (EU) Environment ministers, in Luxembourg.

The position comes one day after EU countries approved a progressive ban on imports of Russian gas, via pipeline and liquefied natural gas (LNG), at least in 2028, starting negotiations with Parliament, which wants to bring the date forward.

“We are not very dependent and [estamos] very comfortable that there is a ban on the import of Russian gas”, highlighted Maria da Graça Carvalho.

Asked whether Portugal would be prepared for an elimination from 2026, the Energy Minister pointed out: “Yes, for us, there is no problem if that is the decision”.

With the decision agreed on Monday by European guardianship officials, a legally binding and progressive elimination of Russian gas imports by the EU, both by pipeline and LNG, is planned for a total ban on January 1, 2028.

EU ministers advocate a ban on new imports of Russian gas from January 1, 2026, while maintaining a transition period for contracts already in force, with short-term contracts concluded before June 17, 2025 being able to continue until June 17, 2026 and long-term contracts being in force until January 1, 2028.

More ambitious is the European Parliament, with which the Council will now begin negotiations, which wants the EU to stop importing liquefied natural gas from Russia from January 1, 2026, admitting however limited exceptions for short-term contracts (until June 17, 2026) and long-term contracts (until January 1, 2027), as long as they are concluded before June of this year.

Portugal is one of eight EU member states that will have to find alternatives to Russian gas imports, given that the country still imports LNG from Russia, albeit in relatively small proportions.

In 2024, Portugal imported around 49,141 GWh (gigawatt hours) of natural gas, of which approximately 96% was LNG. Of the total LNG, around 4.4% originated in Russia.

Furthermore, the Russian share of LNG imports in Portugal fell from around 15% in 2021 to 5% in 2024.