A transitional year for gas markets in Europe and beyond
As the third wave of global LNG arrives, Wood Mackenzie’s director for Europe gas and LNG, Tom Marzec-Manser, discusses with Petroleum Economist the outlook for Europe’s gas market in 2026
This year will be a transitional one for global gas markets, marking the shift from the tightness seen since 2021 to more ample supply, Wood Mackenzie’s director for Europe gas and LNG, Tom Marzec-Manser, told Petroleum Economist. For the first time in several years, supply growth will outpace demand growth, he said. “We definitely see 2026 as a transitional year,” Marzec-Manser said. “We’re entering what we call the third LNG wave.” That wave began last year but will gather momentum in 2026. Overwhelmingly, it consists of extra supply from the US and Qatar. Europe’s critical role in absorbing the new supply is already evident in import data. “We don’t see a world in which Russian L
Also in this section
9 March 2026
Petroleum Economist analysis sees increases in output from Saudi Arabia, Venezuela and Kazakhstan among others before region’s murky descent
9 March 2026
Energy sanctions are becoming an increasingly prominent tool of US foreign policy, with the country’s growth in oil and gas production allowing it to impose pressure on rivals without jeopardising its own energy security or that of its allies, argues Matthew McManus, a visiting fellow at the National Center for Energy Analytics
6 March 2026
The March 2026 issue of Petroleum Economist is out now!
6 March 2026
After Europe’s rapid buildout of floating LNG import capacity, Exmar CEO Carl-Antoine Saverys says future growth in floating gas infrastructure will increasingly be driven by developing markets as lower prices, rising energy demand and the need to replace coal unlock new opportunities for unconventional and tailor-made solutions






