Finnish state-owned company to stop importing Russian liquefied natural gas

Photo: Gasum will stop importing Russian LNG (photo from Flickr by Franz Airiman)

The Finnish state energy company Gasum, a key supplier in the Scandinavian countries, will stop purchasing and importing Russian liquefied natural gas (LNG) from the end of July, according to a company announcement.

"Gasum complies with all sanctions imposed by the EU and will not purchase or import Russian LNG as of 26 July," the company stated.

They added that EU sanctions do not permit the termination of the contract with Gazprom for LNG supply, but they constitute a force majeure event preventing the purchase or import of Russian LNG for autonomous terminals.

According to Reuters, the long-term contract between Gasum and Gazprom was signed before 2022 under a so-called take-or-pay agreement (which obliges the Finnish company to pay for the contracted gas regardless of whether it uses it).

Journalists clarify that without sanctions, Gasum had no legal grounds to cease purchases.

Sanctions against Russia

Yesterday, June 24, the European Union approved its 14th package of sanctions against Russia. It included restrictions on the purchase or import of Russian LNG through EU terminals that are not connected to the EU gas network.

This provision was initiated by Sweden and Finland to cancel some contracts for the supply of Russian LNG.