Go West - ONEOK Launches Open Season for Proposed Refined Products Pipeline to Phoenix

After years of waiting on the so-called “second wave” of North American LNG, 2022 could finally be the year that sees multiple LNG export projects reach a final investment decision (FID). Global gas fundamentals have been bullish for about a year, and prices hit record highs throughout the summer and fall. Offtakers around the world are clamoring and competing for LNG cargoes, anticipating a volatile and undersupplied winter. But with Russian piped exports to Europe expected to increase dramatically as the controversial Nord Stream 2 pipeline finally comes online, likely early next year, North American LNG is looking for ways to be more attractive to Asian offtakers. One option on the table for North America is to go west and export from the Pacific Coast, which cuts the voyage time to Asia in half. Exporting from the Pacific Coast is not without its challenges, however, including where and how to source the feedgas required for liquefaction. In today’s RBN blog, we continue our series looking at Pacific Coast LNG export developments, this time focusing on feedgas and infrastructure for the LNG projects in Mexico.

After a record-breaking year in which the Japan-Korea Marker topped $30/MMBtu, it looks like 2022 could finally be the year when multiple projects in the long-awaited “second wave” of North American LNG export facilities reach final investment decisions. Developers, financiers, and offtakers are all taking their time, however, to make sure projects make sense in the long term. The recent run of high prices comes after years of price declines and a COVID-related price collapse in 2020, which reduced the spreads between U.S. production and LNG destination markets, slowing the pace of LNG project development. One thing’s clear: Asia — always the focus of LNG demand growth — will become even more important going forward, and perhaps the best way to attract Asian offtakers to U.S., Canadian, and Mexican projects is to export from the Pacific Coast, assuming that feedgas can be sourced and delivered easily. In today’s RBN blog, we conclude our series on Pacific Coast LNG export development, this time focusing on projects in Western Canada.

With multiple energy markets around the world facing natural gas shortages, buyers are clamoring for more LNG. Pre-winter panic-buying has sent global gas prices to record highs yet again in the past couple of days, and even hauled Henry Hub gas futures up to new post-2008 records above $6/MMBtu in after-hours and intraday trading. With the incredible run in global gas prices, U.S. export economics have looked extremely attractive for nearly a year now, and you would think that buyers would be lining up for new liquefaction capacity in the U.S. Well, it has certainly drawn prospective offtakers back to the table. But they are wary of rising export costs and committing to projects long-term given the questionable future for hydrocarbon markets. Additionally, Europe’s rising piped gas imports from Russia and overall declining demand in the region have put long-term prospects for European LNG imports, in particular, on shaky ground. So, access to Asia is more important than ever for new LNG development, a key selling point for projects on North America’s Pacific Coast, both because of proximity to Asian markets and the absence of canal fees or constraints versus the Gulf Coast. There are no LNG export terminals on the Pacific Coast currently, but two projects — LNG Canada in British Columbia and Sempra Energy’s Energía Costa Azul (ECA) LNG in Baja California, Mexico — are under construction and due online mid-decade. Those projects are unlikely to be the last, given the more than $1/MMBtu in cost savings due to shorter voyage times and canal-free access to Asia. In today’s RBN blog, we begin a series looking at the state of LNG development on the North American Pacific Coast.