El Paso Corporation seeks government authorization to export up to 1/2 billion cubic feet of liquefied natural gas per day from its Elba Island, Georgia terminal.
More at Reuters.LNG Import/Export
Should the US Export Natural Gas?
The United States has a glut of natural gas and prices are much higher in other parts of the world – especially Asia. Should the United States begin exporting natural gas as LNG. That would generate income but would also raise the price of gas in the United States.
More at Washington Post.
Rouge Fractures
“The chances of rogue fractures due to shale gas fracking operations extending beyond 0.6 kilometres from the injection source is a fraction of one percent, according to new research led by Durham University. The analysis is based on data from thousands of fracking operations in the USA and natural rock fractures in Europe and Africa.” Quoted from the Durham University press release.
More at Durham University.
Exporting Natural Gas as LNG
Just a few years ago terminals to import liquefied natural gas were being built on the eastern and Gulf coasts of the United States. Now, these terminals are idle or operating at fractional capacity. Some companies are interested in converting them i…
More at Geology.com.
Should the United States Become a Natural Gas Exporter?
The United States has an new abundance of natural gas – so much that prices have fallen dramatically. However, natural gas prices in other parts of the world are still relatively high. Should the United States respond by exporting natural gas? What would happen to prices and supplies if enormous quantities of natural gas were exported?
Related: What is LNG [1]?
[1] http://geology.com/articles/lng-liquefied-natural-gas/
More at Christian Science Monitor.
Sabine Pass LNG Export Facility
An article on the CNN Money website gives an update on construction of the first liquefied natural gas export facility to be built in the lower 48 states.
More at CNN Money.
Challenges Faced by LNG Export
An article on the Bloomberg.com website explores how political pressures and uncertainty about the long-term availability of inexpensive shale gas may hinder the development of a liquefied natural gas export industry in the United States.
More at Bloomberg.com.
Will Exporting Natural Gas Damage Domestic Energy Markets?
DOE/FE asked the U.S. Energy Information Administration to assess how specified scenarios of increased natural gas exports could affect domestic energy markets, focusing on consumption, production, and prices.
More at Energy Information Administration.
25% of New England’s Natural Gas is LNG
Natural gas in the Northeast trades at premium prices compared to the rest of the United States due to pipeline constraints during periods of high demand in the winter. Liquefied natural gas has met over 25% of New England’s average daily natural gas demand since November 2010.
More at Energy Information Administration.
Malaysia Energy Review
Malaysia is a significant producer of oil and natural gas located along important ocean shipping routes of the energy industry. The country has enormous natural gas reserves and is the world’s third largest exporter of LNG.
More at Energy Information Administration.
The United States as a Major Exporter of Natural Gas
A growing abundance of domestic natural gas and higher gas prices in other countries place the United States in a position to become a major exporter of liquified natural gas. An article on NASDAQ.com explores a number of events that could prevent tha…
More at NASDAQ.
LNG Exports from the United States
An article on the MarketWatch website reviews how the United States has rapidly shifted from an importer of natural gas to an aggressive exporter.
More at MarketWatch.
Should US Natural Gas Be Exported?
Some people believe that the current abundance of natural gas in the United States creates an opportunity to export to locations where gas prices are higher. Others believe that the gas should be kept in the United States to reduce our energy dependan…
More at Reuters.
Gulf of Mexico – Energy Infrastructure
The Energy Information Administration has an interactive map that displays energy infrastructure features in the Gulf of Mexico region. It includes power plants, transmission lines, LNG terminals, natural gas hubs, pipelines, oil ports, refineries, ac…
More at Energy Information Administration.
Market Expansion for Natural Gas
An article on the Philly.com website explores areas of market expansion for natural gas. Enormous amounts could be: used as a vehicle fuel, used to produce plastics, used to produce electricity and converted to LNG for overseas export. Each of these …
More at Philly.com.
TransCanada Gas: Overland to USA or LNG to Asia?
The CEO of TransCanada Corporation says that the company is still focused upon delivering their natural gas overland to the United States rather than shipping it as LNG to Asia – but Asia is an option.
More at NASDAQ.
Alaska Natural Gas to Asian Markets?
Alaska has an abundance of natural gas and there is a proposal in the state legislature for building a pipeline to the southcentral Alaska port where the gas would be condensed and shipped to Asian markets as LNG.
More at Alaska Daily News.
Australia Energy Report
The Energy Information Administration has published a new country analysis brief for Australia. The country is the largest exporter of coal and the fourth largest exporter of liquefied natural gas.
More at Energy Information Administration.
Exporting Haynesville Shale Natural Gas as LNG
Natural gas companies can produce more gas from their Haynesville Shale wells than local and pipeline markets can consume. A liquefied natural gas export facility is planned for Sabine Pass, Louisiana that will condense natural gas to LNG and ship it …
More at Shreveport Times.
Exporting Marcellus Shale LNG from Maryland?
Dominion Resources is seeking permission to condense natural gas produced from the Marcellus Shale into LNG (liquefied natural gas) for export from their Cove Point facility at Lusby, Maryland.
More at FuelFix.com.
Kitimat LNG: Canadian Natural Gas to Asia
A terminal to ship liquefied natural gas from Canada to Asian markets is being built near Kitimat, British Columbia. The terminal will have a significant transportation distance advantage over natural gas projects being built in Australia and Indonesia.
More at CTV.ca.
Chevron to Spend $29Billion on Wheatstone LNG Project
Chevron is developing the Wheatstone offshore natural gas field located off the coast of Western Australia. The first gas is expected to be produced in 2016 and prepared for international shipment as LNG.
More at ABC Rural.
Natural Gas to Asia from Kitimat, BC
Natural gas prices in Asia are three times higher than prices in North America. Natural gas producers, Apache, Encana and EOG Resources hope to cash in on that by building a liquefied natural gas plant near Kitimat, British Colombia that will prepare …
More at Business Week.
LNG Import Prices Rising in Japan
The cost of liquefied natural gas (LNG) being imported by Japan has been rising sharply since the earthquake and tsunami damaged of their nuclear power generating capacity. Quoted from the Energy Information Administration article.
More at Energy Information Administration.
Canadian LNG for Asia-Pacific
Construction on the Kitimat LNG export terminal is about to begin. The facility on the northern coast of British Columbia is being built with an eye on the Asia-Pacific market. New terminals are also underway at Douglas Channel and Prince Rupert. Mo…
More at Edmonton Journal.
Asia-Pacific Consumers Seeking Long-Term LNG Contracts
Anticipating price increases, liquefied natural gas consumers in the Asia-Pacific region are trying to lock in long-term LNG contracts.
This seems contrary to lots of new LNG capacity coming online in Australia, Indonesia, Canada, Qatar and the Unite…
Shale Gas and U.S. National Security
The Baker Institute for Public Policy at Rice University has published a report titled: “Shale Gas and U.S. National Security”. “This study assesses the impact of U.S. domestic shale gas development on energy security and U.S. national security, with emphasis on the geopolitical consequences of rising supplies of U.S. natural gas from shale and the implications for U.S. foreign policy.” Quoted from the report summary.
LNG Sendout Levels Decline Sharply
The sendout from liquefied natural gas terminals in the United States has declined to very low levels. July sendouts have typically averaged about 1.6 billion cubic feet per day but now they average about 0.38 billion cubic feet per day. Increased natural gas production in the United States is reducing the need for imports.
Largest Floating LNG Plant Off Western Australia
Royal Dutch Shell is planning to build the world’s largest floating liquefied natural gas (LNG) plant above a natural gas field off the coast of Western Australia. The project is in response to an anticipated doubling of the Asian demand for LNG.
LNG Export from Sabine Pass, LA/TX
“DOE issued conditional authorization to Cheniere Energy’s application to export LNG from its Sabine Pass terminal in Louisiana. Cheniere plans to retrofit the existing import terminal to give it liquefaction capability. Cheniere has been authorized to export up to 2.2 Bcf/d of natural gas from the facility for a period of 20 years.” Quoted from the Energy Information Administration Weekly Natural Gas Update.
US Imports of Natural Gas Drop Sharply
“Net imports of natural gas continue at much lower levels than in previous years, likely as a result of higher U.S. domestic production. [...] During the report week, net Canadian imports averaged 5.3 Bcf per day, which is 20.7 percent lower than the same week in 2010. Sendout from U.S. liquefied natural gas (LNG) import terminals averaged about 1.1 Bcf per day during the report week, or 8.2 percent lower than the same week in 2010.” Quote from the Energy Information Administration’s Natural Gas Weekly Update.
LNG: Yesterday’s Customers are Today’s Competitor
An article on the EnergyTribune.com website reviews how just a few years ago LNG terminals were being built in the United States to receive liquefied natural gas, yet today some of those same terminals and more are candidates for exporting the same commodity.
The International Movement of Natural Gas
The Congressional Research Service has a new report that addresses the international movement of natural gas. About 70% of the natural gas produced is consumed in the same country. This leaves 30% of all gas production moving via international trade. This trade occurs through pipelines and LNG shipments. The map below shows the global pattern of the international natural gas trade.
Image by the Congressional Research Service
Exporting Shale Gas From the United States
The United States has either a short-term glut or a long-term supply of shale gas. An article on Platts.com explores the idea of exporting shale gas from the United States. There are political and commercial perspectives.
The Largest Fleet of LNG Trucks
Heckman Water Resources will become the operator of the largest fleet of LNG trucks in North America as they purchase 200 Peterbilt vehicles that will be used to haul water for Encana’s Haynesville Shale drilling operations. Encana will provide the LNG from a mobile refueling station. More in the Oil and Gas Journal.
Qatar’s Growing LNG Market Share
“Qatar exported 1,800 billion cubic feet (Bcf) of liquefied natural gas (LNG) in 2009, about 20% of total global trade, based on analysis in EIA’s recently released Qatar County Analysis Brief. Qatar’s annual LNG exports are equivalent to 8% of U.S. annual marketed natural gas production. Qatar has 14% (896 Bcf) of the world’s estimated proved natural gas reserves and is the world’s leading supplier of LNG. Qatar, located in the Persian Gulf, is also a member of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and produces about 800,000 barrels per day (bbl/d) of crude oil.” Chart and quote from the Energy Information Administration
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The World’s Largest LNG Producer
Shell and Qatar Petroleum’s Qatargas joint venture has shipped its first cargoes of LNG from Qatar to Gujarat in northern India. Qatargas has now become the world’s largest LNG producer. More at AME.
Indonesia LNG Exports Expected to Drop
Last year Indonesian LNG export facilities shipped 427 cargoes but only 362 are expected to go out this year. More at Reuters.
China is Working on LNG Export Technology
China, the world’s top energy consumer, is developing technology that would enable them to build an LNG export facility in Iran. This would be the first LNG export facility built by a Chinese company and would give them access to abundant but politically risky gas from Iran. More at Yahoo! Finance.
Exxon Orders Four LNG Transport Ships
ExxonMobil has placed an order with China’s Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding Company for four LNG transport ships. The ships are a joint venture between Exxon and Mitsui OSK Lines. More at MarineLog.com.
