The European Union's energy security policy: Transition from Russian natural gas to the United States LNG

The European Union (EU) is dependent on Russian natural gas due to its high demand. The dynamics of energy relations between the EU and Russia have changed after the 2022 Russia-Ukraine War. In the context of energy supply security policies, the EU aims to reduce its dependence on Russian natural gas and diversify energy suppliers. During this period, there has been an increased demand for Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) from the United States(US) as an alternative energy source. This thesis argues whether or not US LNG can be a long-term energy alternative over Russian natural gas for the EU. It examines the political, economic, and technical rationales of US LNG and Russian pipeline natural gas with the context of EU energy supply security through comparative analysis. The findings highlight that the technical infrastructure requirements, the installation process, and the high financial investment required to utilize US LNG lead to challenges for sustainable energy imports. Furthermore, it is predicted that increased demand for US LNG may create a new area of energy dependency for the EU. Therefore, completely abandoning Russian natural gas does not offer a long-term solution. Instead, this thesis advocates balancing the EU's natural gas energy demand between Russia and the US. Keywords: European Union Energy Security, Natural Gas, Russian Pipeline Natural Gas, US Liquefied Natural Gas