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Gas Flows News

02 Jan 2024

US Was Top LNG Exporter in 2023 as Hit Record Levels

© scandamerican / Adobe Stock

U.S. liquefied natural gas exports hit monthly and annual record highs in December, tanker tracking data showed, with analysts saying it positioned the United States to leapfrog Qatar and Australia to become the largest exporter of LNG in 2023.The U.S. was the stand out in global LNG supply growth in 2023, said Alex Munton, director of global gas and LNG research at consulting firm Rapidan Energy Group of the rise to 8.6 million metric tons leaving U.S. terminals in December.Qatar was the largest LNG exporter in 2022 and Australia the second-largest that year, U.S. government data showed."U.S.

19 Oct 2023

LNG Tanker Diverts from Egypt Terminal as Gas Flows from Israel Ebb

A tanker seeking to fill up liquefied natural gas (LNG) at a terminal in Egypt left empty and diverted to another port, after an Israeli pipeline supplying gas was halted due to Israel-Hamas conflict, analysts said on Thursday.The Seapeak Catalunya tanker has changed course from Egypt's Idku LNG plant and is now heading to Algeria's Arzew LNG facility instead, LSEG analyst Olumide Ajayi said, citing shipping data.Chevron has shut down the Israeli Tamar gas field amid the military conflict in the country and suspended exports through the subsea EMG pipeline, which runs from Ashkelon in southern Israel to Egypt.Egypt relies on Israeli gas imports to meet some of its domestic demand and therefore…

24 May 2023

World's Biggest Aircraft Carrier Sails into Oslo for NATO Exercises

The U.S. Navy aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford © U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Jackson Adkins (File Photo)

The world's largest aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald R. Ford, sailed into Oslo on Wednesday, a first for such a U.S. ship, in a show of NATO force at a time of heightened tension between NATO and Russia over the war in Ukraine.The ship and its crew will be conducting training exercises with the Norwegian armed forces along the country's coast in the coming days, the Norwegian military said."This visit is an important signal of the close bilateral relationship between the U.S.

01 May 2023

US LNG Exports Go Full Steam Ahead

© Igor Groshev / Adobe Stock

U.S. producers of liquefied natural gas (LNG) exported at top capacity in April for a second consecutive month, with over two-thirds of shipments bound for Europe and rising volumes to Latin America, Refinitiv Eikon data showed on Monday.Following the full restart of a key Texas export facility in February, U.S. LNG producers are taking advantage of firm prices overseas and increasing demand in some markets.A total of 107 cargoes departed from U.S. ports last month carrying 7.78 million tonnes of LNG…

20 Dec 2022

Gas Starts to Flow to Freeport LNG Export Plant in Texas

© Anatoly Kolodey / Adobe Stock

Freeport LNG’s long-shut liquefied natural gas (LNG) export plant in Texas was on track to receive natural gas on Tuesday, according to data from Refinitiv, a possible sign the plant might meet the company’s projected end-of-the-year return date.The Freeport shutdown added to the squeeze on global gas caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. It helped boost prices in Europe and Asia to record highs over the summer, while capping gains in U.S. gas futures by leaving more fuel in…

17 Oct 2022

Dozens of LNG Carriers Queue off Europe's Coasts Unable to Unload

© Wojciech Wrzesień / Adobe Stock

Dozens of ships carrying liquefied natural gas (LNG) are circling off the coasts of Spain and other European countries unable to secure slots to unload because plants that convert the seaborne fuel back to gas are full.Europe is facing an energy supply squeeze as Russia has progressively cut gas flows after the West imposed sanctions in response to the Ukraine war.The region has had to find alternative supplies, including LNG, but the arrival of multiple cargoes of the superchilled…

03 Oct 2022

Sweden Sends Diving Vessel to Inspect Leaking Nord Stream Pipelines

Nord Stream Gas Leak in the Baltic Sea - Credit: Swedish Coast Guard

Sweden sent a diving vessel on Monday to the site of Russian gas pipelines in the Baltic Sea that ruptured last week following blasts in the area, to probe an incident that has added new tension to Europe's energy crisis.Europe is investigating what caused three pipelines in the Nord Stream network to burst in an act of suspected sabotage near Swedish and Danish waters that Moscow quickly sought to pin on the West, suggesting the United States stood to gain."The coast guard is responsible for the mission…

14 Sep 2022

Italy Must Increase LNG Capacity in 2023, Eni CEO Says

Claudio Descalzi (Photo: Eni)

Italy must increase its liquefied natural gas (LNG) import capacity from next year, energy group Eni's chief executive said on Wednesday.Italy has already secured additional gas imports from Algeria and Norway to make up for a fall in supplies from Russia, but it needs additional LNG terminals to receive more fuel from several countries, Claudio Descalzi said at a business conference.Descalzi said the state-controlled group, which last year imported about 21 billion cubic meters (bcm) of gas from Russia out of a total of 29 bcm imported by Italy…

19 Aug 2022

France Favors Gas Terminals Over New Pipeline to Tackle Crisis

© Pixavril / Adobe Stock

A third gas pipeline between Spain and France would cost at least 3 billion euros ($3 billion) and take years to complete, making it a less attractive option to address Europe's supply worries than new terminals to receive fuel by boat, France's energy transition ministry said.The European Union is bracing for any further fall in gas flows from Russia, which had been the 27-nation bloc's biggest supplier before it invaded its neighbour Ukraine in February and trade was disrupted.German…

17 Aug 2022

Britain to Receive Rare LNG Cargo from Australia

Britain is set to receive a rare shipment of liquefied natural gas (LNG) from Australia later this month, as countries across Europe strive to secure enough supplies ahead of winter.European nations are seeking to diversify energy supplies following Russia's invasion of Ukraine and a sharp drop in Russian gas flows to the continent.LNG tanker Attalos, with a capacity of 174,000 cubic meters, is set to arrive at Britain's Isle of Grain terminal on Aug. 22, according to data and analytics firm Kpler."The (LNG tanker) Patris was the original vessel that loaded at the North West Shelf liquefaction plant in Australia. It did a ship-to-ship transfer with the Attalos in Malaysian waters…

22 Jul 2022

Nord Stream 1 Pipeline Future Depends on Gas Demand and Sanctions, Russia Says

©Luciano Prata/AdobeStock

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Thursday that the future of the Nord Stream 1 gas pipeline to Germany would depend on gas demand in Europe and Western sanctions against Russia.The pipeline from Russia to Germany is undergoing annual maintenance until July 21, but European governments are worried that Moscow could extend that in order to restrict European gas supply, disrupting plans to build up storage for winter.Kremlin-controlled energy giant Gazprom…

04 Jul 2022

Greece Can Cope With Possible Russian Gas Disruptions Thanks to LNG - Minister

Illustration only - An FSRU - Credit: Karel/AdobeStock

Greece can cope well with potential cuts in Russian gas supply due to the availability of liquefied natural gas (LNG) as an alternative, its energy minister said on Monday after a meeting with energy suppliers and grid operators on energy security.The country relied on Russian gas via the TurkStream pipeline for 40% of its needs last year. About 70% of its gas imports are used in power generation.Russian gas flows to Europe via Ukraine and the Nord Stream 1 pipeline have fallen this year after Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February and Europe’s moves to impose sanctions on Moscow…

01 Jun 2022

Europe's Dash for Gas & FSRUs Puts Australia's LNG Import Plans at Risk

Illustration - An FSRU - Credit: Karel/AdobeStock

Europe's race to replace Russian gas supply has threatened Australia's plans for five gas import terminals as they compete for key infrastructure, raising the risk of a supply shortfall in Australia's populous southeast in the next two years.France, Germany, and the Netherlands among others will need to import liquefied natural gas (LNG) to replace pipelined gas from Russia, which has been hit by sanctions during the Ukraine conflict.European users are grabbing floating storage and regasification units (FSRUs) needed to convert LNG to gas…

13 May 2022

Ukraine Sets Russian Supply Ship on Fire. Thwarts Russian Armored Column River Crossing

Ukrainian forces destroyed a pontoon bridge and parts of Russian armored column as it tried to cross a river in the Donbas region, video footage released by Ukraine's military showed on Friday, and a Russian naval ship was set afire in the Black Sea.Russia has suffered setbacks on the battlefield as Ukraine drives its troops out of the region around the second-largest city of Kharkiv, the fastest advance since forcing the Kremlin's forces from Kyiv and the northeast over a month ago.Reuters journalists have confirmed Ukraine is now in control of territory stretching to the banks of the Siverskiy Donets River, around 40 km (25 miles)…

09 Mar 2022

US Sanctions on Russian Oil to Leave More Cargoes at Sea with No Buyers

© terex / Adobe Stock

The U.S. ban on Russian oil and gas imports is likely to leave more cargoes at sea with no buyers, and the European Union's decision to continue imports was unlikely to make much difference to disarray in Russian oil trade, analysts said on Tuesday.U.S. President Joe Biden on Tuesday imposed an immediate ban on Russian oil and other energy imports in retaliation for the invasion of Ukraine and Britain said it would phase out imports through the end of 2022.The European Union did not join the ban because it is more dependent on Russian oil and gas supplies.

17 Feb 2022

Brimming European LNG Terminals Have Limited Space for More Gas

© Carabay / Adobe Stock

Europe's liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminals have limited available capacity to absorb extra supply from the United States or other major producers in the event of Russian gas disruption if it invades Ukraine.Concerns are mounting that Russia, which provides around a third of Europe's gas, is preparing to invade Ukraine which could disrupt gas flows to Europe. Russia has repeatedly denied it is preparing to invade Ukraine.The U.S. administration has recently approached major energy producers such as Qatar and Japan and to see if they can send extra LNG to Europe.At least half of U.S.

25 Jan 2022

Nord Stream 2 - Russian Gas Pipeline's Long Wait for Approval

Credit: Nord Stream 2

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said last week that Germany may consider halting the Nord Stream 2 pipeline if Russia attacks Ukraine, reflecting growing political pressure on the Gazprom-led project.Russia has massed troops on the Ukrainian border but denies it is planning an attack, while the United States and Europe have promised to impose sanctions on Moscow should it invade, with Nord Stream 2 one of the possible targets.Europe's most divisive energy project, Nord Stream 2 is designed to double the amount of gas flowing from Russia straight to Germany…

22 Nov 2021

Nord Stream 2 Pipeline Suspension Could be Short-lived

Credit: Nord Stream 2

The suspension of the approval process for the Russian Nord Stream 2 pipeline by a German regulator could be short-lived as Europe is hungry for more gas, an analyst said on Monday after meeting officials of Russian state gas giant Gazprom.Last week, Germany's energy regulator temporarily halted the certification process for the new pipeline that will carry Russian gas into Europe, throwing up a new roadblock to the contentious project and driving up regional gas prices.German…

17 Sep 2021

Quick Nord Stream 2 Start-up Would Calm Record-high Gas Prices in Europe, Kremlin Says

Credit: Nord Stream 2

A rapid startup of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline from Russia to Germany could help calm record-high gas prices in Europe, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Wednesday, as Moscow awaits for regulatory clearance for gas flows to begin.Russia announced last week that it had completed construction of the $11 billion Nord Stream 2 to Germany, doubling its gas exporting capacity via the Baltic Sea. However, the start of gas flows via the route needs the approval of Germany's regulator…

15 Sep 2021

Maryland Cove Point LNG Export Plant to Start Work Next Week

(Acroterion / CC BY-SA 3.0)

Berkshire Hathaway Energy's Cove Point liquefied natural gas (LNG) export plant in Maryland will shut for about three weeks of maintenance starting around Sept. 20, according to pipeline data and analysts.Officials at Berkshire Hathaway Energy on Wednesday confirmed the pipeline and compressor station maintenance will start on Sept. 20 but would not confirm the shutdown of the liquefaction plant until about the day before an outage.Traders noted the reduction in gas flows to LNG export plants should weigh on U.S.

05 Apr 2021

U.S. LNG Export Bonanza Reshapes Energy Map in Asia

Image by donvictori0/AdobeStock

U.S. exports of liquefied natural gas (LNG) to China, Japan, and South Korea, the biggest importers of the fuel, have surged to record highs in recent months as the heavily industrialized region recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic, Eikon trade data shows.As with the ramp-up of U.S. oil exports that forced heavyweights like Saudi Arabia to find other buyers, what was dubbed Freedom Gas by the administration of President Donald Trump is also changing global energy flows and quietly gaining a stranglehold on key markets in Asia.Such is the speed of growth of imports into Japan, the U.S.

08 Jul 2020

US LNG Exports at 20-month Low

(File photo: Freeport LNG)

Natural gas flows to U.S. liquefied natural gas (LNG) export plants plunged this month after falling to a 20-month low in June as coronavirus lockdowns cut global demand for the fuel.Before the pandemic slashed energy demand, U.S. producers counted on LNG exports to keep growing fast as an outlet for their record gas output. But after soaring 68% in 2019 and 53% in 2018, U.S. LNG exports were only expected to rise about 7% in 2020.Gas pipeline flows to U.S. LNG export plants dropped…

26 May 2020

US LNG Exports Drop More Than a Third

© nikkytok / Adobe Stock

U.S. liquefied natural gas exports are down by more than a third since governments started imposing lockdowns to stop the spread of the coronavirus.Worldwide gas prices have plunged as lockdowns squeezed energy demand even as strong renewables output boosted supply. Gas prices are more expensive now in the United States than in Europe for the first time in a decade.Buyers in Asia and Europe have already canceled over 20 U.S. LNG cargoes for June and July, and more cancellations are anticipated.Gas flows to U.S.