Asia

LyondellBasell has broken ground near Houston for the world’s largest propylene oxide (PO) and tertiary butyl alcohol (TBA) complex ever built and the company’s largest investment to date, a project that would be fueled by Lower 48 natural gas.

Chevron Corp. is hitting the sweet spot for natural gas exports in Australia, in close proximity to thirsty Asian markets, and is in no hurry to look elsewhere for opportunities to expand, including on the U.S. Gulf Coast, the midstream chief said Friday.

The U.S. and Japanese governments said they plan to continue their cooperation in the energy sector by providing training, financing and technical assistance to countries within the Indo-Pacific region, ostensibly to promote U.S. liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports to Asia.

Domestic natural gas exports topped 1.94 Bcf/d last year, sharply higher than the 0.5 Bcf/d in 2016, with all of the shipments originating from Cheniere Energy Inc.’s Sabine Pass liquefaction terminal in Louisiana, the Energy Information Administration (EIA) said Tuesday.

Natural gas export trade last year grew year/year by 29 million metric tons (mmt) to 293 mmt, as global demand from new areas grew more strongly than expected, Royal Dutch Shell plc said Monday.

Physical natural gas for Wednesday delivery continued to slip lower Tuesday as weather forecasts continued to be uninspiring and traders saw little on the horizon to spark any kind of price rally.

The outlook for liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports has something to disappoint nearly everyone, according to analysts at Raymond James & Associates Inc.

Cheap and “trapped” liquefied natural gas (LNG) is becoming a significant threat to oil demand growth, which “could derail the substitution story” in overseas markets, according to a Citigroup analyst.

Investors dreaming of big returns from exporting North American natural gas may have to wait for a payoff because of overbuilding, a leading authority said in a new analysis.