EU agrees historic phase-out of Russian gas by 2027
December 3, 2025
Europe’s LNG regasification capacity has jumped to 250 bcm following twelve new terminals and six expansions since 2022. Yet utilisation rates remain low—averaging 52 % across the EU and below 20 % in Finland and Greece—raising questions over stranded-asset risks.
Energy journalist Elise Wu (Montel News) recently examined Europe’s rapid LNG build-out, noting that twelve new regasification terminals and six expansions between 2022 and 2024 added about 70 bcm per year, lifting total capacity to 250 bcm. Her analysis cautions that with average utilisation around 52 % across the EU—just 17 % in Finland and 19 % in Greece—continued expansion could risk creating stranded assets.
Wu cites experts including the European Commission’s climate chief Kurt Vandenberghe, who warns that additional capacity may be unnecessary, while Anne-Sophie Corbeau stresses that strategic buffers remain essential, particularly in southeastern Europe, to support landlocked countries and guard against pipeline disruptions.
Her post sparked a lively LinkedIn discussion among energy analysts. Nareg Terzian argued that much of the new capacity is inherently flexible: “Almost all LNG regas capacity added since 2022 are FSRUs … only two or three are onshore if I’m not mistaken.
Looking at EU-level numbers ignores national energy-security imperatives and sub-regional realities.”
Adding a power-system perspective, Morten Frisch noted that Europe’s need for gas-fired generation is far from over. “After the nationwide blackout in Spain and Portugal on 28 April 2025, Spain now keeps at least 15 gas-fuelled generators running at all times … Other countries are likely to follow to stabilise systems increasingly reliant on intermittent renewables.”
Taken together, the Montel article and ensuing debate highlight a crucial nuance: Europe’s LNG capacity may appear excessive on paper, yet regional constraints, FSRU mobility, and the ongoing need for flexibility in electricity systems complicate the stranded-asset narrative. The conversation is shifting from how much capacity Europe needs to where it is located—and how quickly it can adapt.
Source: Montel News — “Growth in EU LNG capacity poses stranded-assets risk” by Elise Wu (October 2025), and LinkedIn discussion including comments from Nareg Terzian and Morten Frisch
