LNG

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and Europe’s subsequent pivot away from Russian natural gas caused a huge resurgence in interest in U.S. LNG. That led to nearly 60 MMtpa (7.9 Bcf/d) of new U.S. LNG capacity reaching a final investment decision (FID) in 2022-23. But regulatory delays at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), the Biden administration’s pause on non-free-trade-agreement (non-FTA) export licenses, and legal challenges to the FERC approval process have essentially halted LNG development in the U.S. There are several LNG projects with enough commercial momentum to move forward that are stuck in regulatory or legal limbo, but even projects that have reached FID are not safe from legal challenges. In today’s RBN blog, we conclude our series on LNG delays by looking at recent court rulings and other regulatory issues and their impact on U.S. LNG development. 

The U.S. is now the world’s #1 supplier of LNG and the new liquefaction/export capacity slated to come online over the next few years suggest it will hold that position into the 2030s. To control more of the LNG value chain and become more familiar with the inner workings of the U.S. natural gas market, a small-but-growing number of LNG buyers and suppliers have been acquiring gas production assets close to LNG export terminals along the U.S. Gulf Coast — in other words, buying slices of the American gas-supply pie. In today’s RBN blog, we discuss the LNG market players pursuing this strategy, what they’ve been buying, and how their acquisitions may benefit them. 

China’s appetite for crude oil has been lower than expected this year, largely due to a slowing economy and the increased adoption of electric vehicles (EVs). And the U.S.’s #1 economic and geopolitical rival is in the midst of another transition that could further weaken crude oil demand: Heavy-duty trucking in China is increasingly being powered by LNG instead of diesel. In today’s RBN blog, we discuss the trend toward LNG-fueled trucking in China and what it could mean for LNG exporters in the U.S. 

Rising demand for natural gas storage in the Gulf Coast region has spurred growing interest and investment. A number of midstream companies have been making moves, either by expanding their existing storage facilities in Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama or entering the space with acquisitions or plans for greenfield projects. As a result, more than 150 Bcf of new gas storage space is in various stages of development. In today’s RBN blog, we discuss highlights from our new Drill Down Report on Gulf Coast gas storage. 

As a group, Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama have more than 1.1 trillion cubic feet of natural gas storage capacity, most of it along — or within easy reach of — the Gulf Coast, with its long-and-growing list of LNG export terminals as well as gas-consuming industries and gas-fired power plants. That’s a good thing, but still more gas storage will be needed to help ensure there is sufficient gas in hand to meet the region’s rising — and increasingly volatile — requirements. In today’s RBN blog, we’ll continue our review of Gulf Coast storage projects with a look at plans by Trinity Gas Storage and Caliche Storage.