Abundance

Exports of liquefied natural gas (LNG) from the United States, and also Australia, are giving the global gas market something it hasn’t had before: competitive supply that is not under the thumb of governments or national oil companies, a Cheniere Energy Inc. executive said Thursday in Washington, DC.

While natural gas is becoming the fuel of choice due to its clean-burning qualities and newfound abundance in North America thanks to shale development, the increased gas demand from multiple sources, including the industrial sector, electric power sector, transportation and liquefied natural gas and pipeline exports, is unlikely to boost the domestic price of the resource substantially, according to a new study titled “New Dynamics of the U.S. Natural Gas Market,” conducted by the Bipartisan Policy Center (BPC).

While natural gas is becoming the fuel of choice due to its clean-burning qualities and newfound abundance in North America thanks to shale development, the increased gas demand from multiple sources, including the industrial sector, electric power sector, transportation and liquefied natural gas and pipeline exports, is unlikely to boost the domestic price of the resource substantially, according to a new study titled “New Dynamics of the U.S. Natural Gas Market,” conducted by the Bipartisan Policy Center (BPC).

While natural gas is becoming the fuel of choice due to its clean-burning qualities and newfound abundance in North America thanks to shale development, the increased gas demand from multiple sources, including the industrial sector, electric power sector, transportation and liquefied natural gas and pipeline exports, is unlikely to boost the domestic price of the resource substantially, according to a new study titled “New Dynamics of the U.S. Natural Gas Market,” conducted by the Bipartisan Policy Center (BPC).

LyondellBasell Industries, a worldwide chemical company based in the Netherlands, said it hopes to join other manufacturers in taking advantage of the abundance of natural gas and natural gas liquids (NGL) produced from shale formations as it begins construction this month on the first of several projects to expand ethylene capacity in the United States by about 20%.

Driven by abundance north of the border and growing need to the south, U.S. exports of natural gas to Mexico hit their highest level since export data collection began in 1973, the Energy Information Administration (EIA) said. Meanwhile, cross-border pipeline export capacity from the United States is expected to grow significantly.

Driven by abundance north of the border and growing need to the south, U.S. exports of natural gas to Mexico hit their highest level since export data collection began in 1973, the Energy Information Administration (EIA) said. Meanwhile, cross-border pipeline export capacity from the United States is expected to grow significantly.

The battle between companies that stand to benefit from liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports and those that benefit from the low price and abundance of natural gas in the United States is intensifying. Chemical giant Dow Chemical Co. left the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) over an export dispute, while Huntsman Corp. joined America’s Energy Advantage, a coalition opposed to LNG exports.

A final evaluation by Nebraska environmental officials is expected during early January regarding TransCanada Corp.’s alternative route for its proposed Keystone XL oil pipeline to avoid environmentally sensitive areas in the Sand Hills region of the state.