Australian LNG exporter ships a rare cargo to Europe as buyers rush to secure alternatives to Russian supplies

Europe received its first LNG cargo from Australian energy firm Woodside Energy Group.

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• Australian energy company Woodside delivered an LNG cargo to Europe amid an energy crisis. 
• A cargo of 75,000 tonnes of natural gas arrived for German utility Uniper on Sunday. 
• European buyers are rushing to secure natural gas from alternative sellers as Russia cuts off flows. 

Europe just received a shipment of liquefied natural gas from Australia, as the continent steps up efforts to secure alternative energy supplies after Russia curbed supplies.

Woodside Energy Group said it delivered approximately 75,000 tonnes of LNG to German government-owned gas importer Uniper. The cargo of Australia's North West Shelf LNG arrived at the Gate Terminal on Maasvlakte, Rotterdam on Sunday.

"Events over the course of 2022 have shown that the world cannot take reliable and affordable supplies of energy for granted, particularly as we strive to decarbonise," the Australian energy company said in a statement Monday. 

"At such times it is more important than ever that buyers and sellers work together to flexibly respond to market dynamics. Our relationship with Uniper is an example of such cooperation," it added. 

 The shipment marks a rare move for Australia, which largely exports its natural gas to Asia. It comes in response to Europe's energy crisis, after Russia cut back flows to the continent in retaliation to Western sanctions.

Europe has also sought natural gas from the likes of Qatar, the US and China, to make sure its households have enough supplies through the winter. And while the US gained the title of the world's largest LNG exporter earlier this year, Australia has been making its mark in the industry too, accounting for about 20% of global LNG shipments, per the Australian government. 

"We continue to work on securing the much needed gas supply into Europe from reliable sources like Australia and thus helping to strengthen security of supply during the ongoing crisis triggered by the Russian war," Uniper's director of LNG Andreas Gemballa said in a joint statement with Woodside. 

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