Exports

Resilient demand in Asia and colder weather in Europe supported global natural gas prices at the start of the week, further strengthening the outlook for U.S. liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports.  Both near-curve Title Transfer Facility and National Balancing Point contracts in Europe closed higher Monday. Temperatures across the continent are expected to trend cooler…

U.S. liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports hit a record high in March of 6.64 million tons (Mt), according to market research firm Kpler, capping a volatile winter in which brutally cold weather across the northern hemisphere both increased demand and disrupted operations.  Kpler said U.S. exports in March finished 2.26 Mt higher than February, when…

Global liquefied natural gas (LNG) supplies are expected to rise by 43 million metric tons/year (mmty) this summer with the United States in the lead, according to Goldman Sachs Group Inc. The investment bank’s analysts projected domestic LNG exports could grow by 35 mmty this summer from 2020 levels, as flows normalize. By comparison, leading…

Global commodity trader Vitol said Tuesday its activity in the energy markets declined last year along with demand as the Covid-19 pandemic raged on.  The world’s top oil trader, and a dominant force in the still-developing liquefied natural gas (LNG) markets, saw both oil and LNG trading fall.  “The extraordinary market conditions in the initial…

Natural gas futures took a dramatic fall after the Easter holiday weekend as weather forecasts shifted much warmer for the next couple of weeks. With April on pace to be warmer than normal, the May Nymex gas futures contract plunged 12.8 cents Monday to settle at $2.511/MMBtu. June fell 11.5 cents to $2.582. Spot gas…

Feed gas deliveries to U.S. liquefied natural gas (LNG) export terminals have been near capacity, flowing at almost 12 Bcf each day over the last week. The European natural gas market is helping drive U.S. export demand. Prices on the continent closed higher last week. The Dutch Title Transfer Facility finished at $6.620/MMBtu and the…

Natural gas forward markets remained quiet as they closed out March, with near-record export demand going head to head with generally weak domestic demand. The May contract, which took over the prompt-month position on Tuesday, finished the period ending Wednesday (March 31) essentially flat from where it averaged on March 25, according to NGI’s Forward…

The backlog of vessels at the Suez Canal was dwindling Thursday after a massive container ship was freed following a week-long blockade, and little impact was seen — for now — on the global liquefied natural gas (LNG) trade. As of Thursday, about 250 ships had transited the canal since Monday (March 29), down from…

No U.S. liquefied natural gas (LNG) projects are expected to be sanctioned this year, marking the second year in a row developers may postpone moving ahead with facilities, according to Wood Mackenzie. Consultants during a webcast last week said domestic final investment decisions (FID) were unlikely as sponsors struggle to secure long-term contracts “Generally, we’ve…