European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen suggesting replacing Russian liquefied natural gas (LNG) with U.S. exports in a phone conversation with U.S. President-elect Donald Trump on Nov. 8.
Von der Leyen spoke with Trump three days after his victory in the Nov. 5 presidential election.
Replacing Europe’s supplies of Russian LNG was “one of the topics” the two leaders discussed, von der Leyen told reporters in Budapest.
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The European Union imposed its first major restrictions on Russian gas, including LNG, in its 14th sanctions package in June. Russia still remains Europe’s second-largest importer of LNG, after the U.S.
Already in the works, though for the time being (until fusion) Europe will be dependent on imports for energy and chemical feedstock but in the future that’s going to be ammonia (aka transportable hydrogen) from e.g. Canada and Namibia, produced by gigantic amounts of new solar and wind installations.
Also even though fusion is slated to finally arrive in the 2030s (Max Planck is now getting into commercialisation so yes it’s serious) it’s probably going to be a while before it’s price-competetive with renewables from places really suited for renewables, especially when we’re not talking raw electricity but stuff that can be transported more easily. So those investments abroad won’t be instant write-offs.