LONDONBRUSSELS, Feb 2 Reuters Europe will have enough gas supply for the next 10 years and thereafter despite a move by the U.S. administration to pause approvals on new liquefied natural gas LNG plants, EU energy officials and analysts said, dismissing industry39;s warnings.

Gas companies and lobby groups who learned of the move ahead of the decision and unsuccessfully opposed it according to documents seen by Reuters warned it would compromise global energy security and efforts to reduce carbon dioxide emissions.

The U.S. has become the biggest exporter of LNG to Europe, as EU countries have raced to replace Russian fuel following Moscow39;s invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Over 60 of U.S. LNG exports went to Europe in the last two years.

U.S. President Joe Biden last week paused approvals for applications to export from new LNG projects to review the climate change and economic impact of such projects.

A European Commission spokesperson told Reuters the U.S. decision will not have any shorttomedium term impacts on the EU39;s security of gas supply.

Europe has survived two winters without Russian pipeline gas, helped by lower heating demand due to mild weather and as high energy prices forced some industries to shut.

Even with new projects paused, the U.S. is set to expand its LNG capacity.

There39;s a number of U.S. projects that are already under construction or that already have approval, said Jacob Mandel, Senior Associate at Aurora Energy Research.

U.S. LNG…