The US' limited reach

Deliveries from Sabine Pass to northwest and eastern Europe have begun, but don't hold your breath for an avalanche of North American supply

he arrival on 7 June of the first US liquefied natural gas cargo at Poland's Świnoujście terminal was hailed by the country's leaders as another milestone in efforts to reduce its dependence on Russian gas. But the quantity imported into Poland—and the rest of Europe—in future will be an outcome of market forces, not political strategy. The Gate terminal in the Netherlands also received its first cargo from Cheniere Energy's Sabine Pass plant in Louisiana on 8 June—the first US delivery ever into northwest Europe. But the cargo was only taken to replace a delivery from Statoil's LNG production facility at Snøhvit, Norway, which was closed for maintenance between 12 May and 18 June. For the s