Combined gas demand in Finland and the Baltic states climbed to a five-year high in the first quarter as colder-than-normal weather lifted consumption across the region.
Total gas consumption in Finland, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania rose to 19.4TWh in January-March from 15TWh a year earlier, the highest for any quarter since January 2021. The energy crisis of 2022 changed the region's supply patterns dramatically (see graph, data and download).
Consumption increased year on year in all four countries as abnormally cold weather boosted gas use for heating and power generation.
Estonia recorded the strongest growth of 40pc, with consumption rising to 1.8TWh in January-March. Demand in Latvia rose by 38pc to 5.2TWh, while Finnish demand was up by 31pc, reaching 5.61TWh, and Lithuanian demand up by 20pc on the year at 6.8TWh.
Minimum temperatures averaged -7.4°C across Helsinki, Tallinn, Riga and Vilnius — well below the -2.3°C average in January-March 2025 and the -3.8°C long-term average (see daily lows table).
Gas-fired output across the four countries rose to an average of 105GW in the first quarter, from 73GW in the period in 2025, Fraunhofer ISE data show (see gas-fired power graph).
LNG terminals reduced reliance on storage in winter
The region is now almost entirely dependent on LNG imports, with only limited pipeline gas from Poland.
The region received 21 LNG cargoes in the first quarter, up from 10 in the same period last year. Of these, 53pc came from Norway and 29pc from the US. The rest came from other countries, with no deliveries from Qatar, reducing the region's exposure to Middle East disruptions.
The region is a premium market, compared with northwest Europe, because of harsher weather and the need for icebreakers during peak cold periods, which helped attract LNG cargoes, even during months of high global demand, a regional trader told Argus.
Combined sendout from the Inkoo, Hamina and Klaipeda LNG terminals totalled 13.2TWh in the first quarter, up from 9TWh in 2025. The region became an importer from Poland in January-March, with net pipeline imports totalling 513GWh, compared with exports of 426GWh in the period in 2025.
Stockdraw from Latvia's Incukalns, the region's only storage facility, totalled 6.2TWh in the first quarter, down from 7TWh a year earlier. Incukalns held 5.9TWh on 7 April, down from 9.01TWh on the year, according to GIE transparency platform data.
Regional grid operators have launched a consultation to improve the efficiency of the Amber gas corridor — the link connecting the Finnish 3.8mn t/yr Inkoo and Lithuanian 2.9mn t/yr Klaipeda LNG terminals with the Baltic states and Poland to Ukraine. The utilisation rate of Finnish LNG terminals increased to 20pc in the first quarter from 7pc in the quarter in 2025, GIE data show. The 2.9mn t/yr Klaipeda LNG terminal operated at 92pc utilisation in January-March, up from 68pc in 2025. Klaipeda operator KN Energies had planned to increase the terminal's capacity by 1.25bn m³/yr to 5bn m³/yr if the results of the long-term auction confirm market interest.
The Latvian regulator has proposed equal tariffs at all terminals, which may incentivise firms to shift usage toward Finnish terminals.
| Daily lows in 1Q | °C | |||
| Period Finland Lithuania Latvia Estonia | ||||
| 2025 | -6.2 | -1.6 | -0.1 | -1.6 |
| 2026 | -10.4 | -7.1 | -5.7 | -6.3 |
| Long-term average | -8.4 | -2.7 | -1.3 | -2.9 |
| — Speedwell Climate | ||||
