As an influx of additional LNG volumes are set to hit markets later this decade, the next wave of long-term contracts – mostly by Asian buyers – could push global prices toward an “unprecedented moment,” according to Columbia University’s Center on Global Energy Policy (CGEP).

CGEP researcher Ira Joseph said in a recent note that the range of prices and available transparency for liquefied natural gas contracts could widen further by 2030, even as the commodity becomes more globalized. One of the largest drivers of the change could be traced back to the market trends of Asian buyers, which are expected to dominate long-term contracting and spot markets.

While Europe’s push into the spot market to replace Russian gas has also increased attention on LNG indexes, Joseph...