Russia’s Sanctioned LNG Finds a Growing Market in China

Russia’s Novatek exported 21 cargoes of liquefied natural gas to China from its Arctic LNG 2 facility last year, data from Kpler cited by Reuters has shown. Arctic LNG 2 is under EU and U.S. sanctions.

One more LNG cargo went to China from Gazprom’s Portovaya facility, also under Western sanctions. China’s CNPC and CNOOC are shareholders in Novatek’s Arctic LNG 2, with a 10% stake each.

Russia’s total exports of liquefied natural gas to China in 2025 hit an all-time high despite the sanctions, with September flows specifically doubling from a year earlier, to 1.6 million tons from 751,000 tons.

Novatek specifically is estimated to have sold more than 1 million tons of liquefied gas from Arctic LNG 2 to China between June and November. Cargo-loading accelerated markedly since August, with Vortexa reporting in September that there were six loaded LNG carriers in transit, carrying gas from the Gydan Peninsula.

The surge in Russian LNG shipments comes amid a general softening in demand for the superchilled fuel in China. For most of 2025, imports were weaker than in 2024, but towards the end of the year, they picked up, booking rather solid increases on an annual basis.

In November, LNG imports into China went up by 13.6% on the year to 6.94 million tons, and early data from Kpler suggested flows were even higher in December, hitting 7.17 million tons. The November and December hikes followed a stretch of 12 months during which LNG imports were on the decline. Among the reasons, in addition to softer demand, was a substantial rise in domestic natural gas production and higher pipeline gas imports, especially from Russia, via the Power of Siberia pipeline. Overall, Chinese LNG imports for 2025, therefore, are expected to be lower than the total for 2024, when imports were driven higher due to a push to fill up gas storage facilities.

By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com

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