US and Qatar warn EU methane import rules threaten winter energy supply

The United States and Qatar have urged the European Union to overhaul its planned methane emission regulations for oil and gas imports, warning that the incoming framework threatens energy security.

Beginning next year, the EU regulation will mandate strict methane monitoring and verification requirements for fuel deliveries imported into the bloc.

The rules are designed to curb leaks of the potent greenhouse gas. However, they have drawn fierce opposition from the energy industry and foreign suppliers.

In an open letter addressed to EU leaders, the energy ministers of the US, Qatar, Nigeria, and Algeria—all major gas exporters to Europe—demanded that the EU suspend the legislation and introduce “targeted changes.”

“Importers have already begun the process of purchasing oil and natural gas to be stored for delivery in 2027, and as of now, there is no viable pathway to comply with the regulation,” the letter stated.

Speaking on Wednesday at the Reuters Global Energy Forum in New York, US Energy Secretary Chris Wright said the EU’s “crazy” methane regulations would make liquefied natural gas (LNG) imports from the US and other allied signatory nations impossible.

Wright warned that the move would put EU member states at risk. “The risk of experiencing power outages or heating issues next winter will be quite high. There is no justification for this,” he said.

Speaking to reporters before the letter was published, EU Energy Commissioner Dan Jorgensen indicated openness to discussing ways to ease the implementation of the regulation, but maintained that the bloc would not dilute the policy’s objectives.

“I will not bring this matter back to the table. I am very proud of our methane regulations. We have also faced significant pressure from international companies and countries like the US; our message to them remains the same. We will assist as much as we can to be pragmatic, but we must protect the legislation,” Jorgensen said.

The European Commission has drafted plans to remove penalties for companies violating the law, but has so far refused to rewrite the core rules.

According to a document seen by Reuters, 11 EU governments—including Italy, the Czech Republic, the Netherlands, and Poland—have separately requested that Brussels delay the implementation of the rules by three years, citing energy supply disruptions linked to the war in Ukraine.

EU energy ministers are scheduled to discuss the request on Friday.

According to a study by Wood Mackenzie published in March and backed by the oil and gas industry, nearly half of the EU’s gas imports could struggle to comply with the incoming rules.

However, research published this week by Rystad for the Environmental Defense Fund indicated that the volume of gas already compliant with the current rules is three times the EU’s existing import levels.