Glimmers beyond the glut
Global exports are heading for a hefty surplus. It will take a brave developer to sanction a sizeable new plant without lining up buyers first
The gas liquefaction construction boom is here—millions of tonnes of capacity are coming on stream over the next two or three years from the US to Malaysia, the Russian Arctic to Australia. But it's not going to last. With supply poised to outstrip demand, some developers are delaying final investment decisions (FIDs) on fresh capacity until a rebalancing of the LNG market is in sight—and that is unlikely to happen before the early-to-mid-2020s. More than 140m tonnes a year of global LNG capacity is due to be added between the start of 2016 and end-2019, with 51m t/y scheduled to start up this year alone, according to Energy Aspects, a consultancy. Much of this originates from Australia—whic
Also in this section
17 January 2025
Supply glut or supply deficit are both plausible outlooks, with tariffs and sanctions among the key risks that could swing the pendulum
17 January 2025
European Commission is on its way to meeting clean energy goals, but energy security concerns and higher costs may give it second thoughts
17 January 2025
The CEO of QatarEnergy has highlighted the potential impact a new EU directive could have on energy exports to the continent
16 January 2025
The government’s resource nationalism is aggravating the NOC’s debt position and could yet worsen if also tasked with the decarbonisation shift