Eleven EU member states are able to receive liquefied natural gas (LNG) through terminals, Maros Sefcovic, the European Commission’s vice president for Energy Union said in an interview with ICIS, Trend reports.

Sefcovic acknowledged that collateral factors, such as the rising tide of LNG globally, could help members, particularly those relying on coal, to make a smoother transition towards reaching the EU’s goals to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 40 percent by 2030 and carbon neutrality by 2050.

Along with resource diversification, the full integration of energy markets, research innovation, the decarbonisation of the economy and energy efficiency are the five pillars of the energy union strategy, which Sefcovic has been spearheading.

The clean energy for all Europeans package establishes a binding target of 32 percent for renewable energy sources in the EU’s energy mix by 2030 and at least 32.5 percent for energy efficiency also by that date.

However, Sefcovic said that some coal-reliant countries such as Poland could benefit from importing LNG which is 50 percent less carbon intensive than coal.

"Eleven member states are already able to receive LNG through terminals and we can import 210 billion cubic metres of LNG, this is half of [the EU’s] yearly consumption,” he said.

Sefcovic said the EU had implemented the necessary legislation and built the right infrastructure to ensure LNG reaches member states, but added that the import of the fuel should be left to traders depending on the best price they can get for the fuel.