LNG inflows increased in Italy and Croatia during the week to 20 September, while Greece recorded lower receipts. The figures indicate more imported gas for the two markets as European traders assessed supply ahead of the winter withdrawal season. The report also highlights that the LNG volumes do not directly translate into changes in gas-fired power generation.
Italy and Croatia report higher LNG receipts
Italy received 4,373.49 GWh of LNG, up 23.37% from the previous week. Croatian inflows reached 675.02 GWh, a 2.1% weekly increase. The report notes that the two numbers reflect different import scales, but both show higher receipts over the period.
Greece records lower inflows versus an earlier comparison
Greece recorded 387.97 GWh of LNG inflows. The report describes this as a 9.3% decline against Week 36, rather than against the immediately preceding Week 37. It says a matching-week comparison is needed before treating the Greek change as a week-on-week move.
LNG volumes and power generation follow different schedules
The report states that higher LNG receipts do not automatically mean higher gas-fired electricity output. In Italy, gas-fired electricity output fell 10.86% during Week 38. It attributes the disconnect to differences in timing across cargo arrivals, storage decisions, pipeline flows and power plant demand.
Implications for supply access across Southeast Europe
For Southeast Europe, the significance of the LNG figures is linked to access to supply through several entry points. The next test is how much of that gas becomes available to neighbouring markets and at what delivered cost when winter demand rises.