LNG

Global LNG demand could reach nearly 700 million tonnes a year by 2050, a 65% increase from 2025-levels, Shell forecasts, assuming shipping through the Strait of Hormuz returns to normal this summer, before growth resumes in 2027.

Egypt is seeking to import more LNG as electricity demand this summer is forecast to rise 8% above last year’s peak of 40 Gigawatt. Regasification capacity has been maximised, while the Damietta LNG export terminal gets used to store cargoes for emergency use.

Gulfstream LNG, an US greenfield project, is advancing through FERC’s pre-filing review, while Texas LNG has already moved further along in the regulatory process and is working toward final authorization.

Feedgas flows from the United States to Mexico are on pace for a record June as Energía Costa Azul LNG project prepares for export start-up. Sempra began producing LNG at the 3.25 mtpa terminal on June 4, with commercial exports due to begin in September.

Nuclear restarts and coal has displaced LNG in the South Korean power mix as Qatari supply fell away, allowing utilities to defer procurement rather than chase spot cargoes priced above $20 per MMBtu. As a result, LNG’s share in Korean power generation fell to an estimated 22–24 percent in H1-2026, down from roughly 26–28 percent in H1 2025.

Italy’s energy major Eni has agreed to acquire a 32% interest in three upstream blocks in the Vaca Muerta basin, designated as feedstock for an Argentine LNG export project. Argentina’s state oil company YPF, together with Eni and the Abu Dhabi-based investment firm XRG are working intensively to reach FID on the 12 mtpa Argentina LNG project during the second half of 2026.

China’s LNG imports in June are expected to be broadly unchanged from a year earlier at around 5.29 million tonnes, according to Kpler data cited by Bloomberg. The forecast implies a month-on-month increase from May imports of 4.9 million tonnes, as demand strengthens ahead of peak summer cooling, driven by higher air-conditioning use.

South Korea’s steady inflow of Qatari LNG of roughly 0.6-0.9 MMt per month for the past two years was disrupted by the Ras Laffan air strikes in March and the subsequent force majeure. The last Qatari cargo to date discharged at Incheon on 9 March, with replacement volumes scattered across multiple sources.

Spain’s Bilbao port chief has urged the European Union to delay its 2027 ban on Russian LNG, arguing the bloc needs “more resilience” and noting Russian cargoes are often cheaper than U.S. supplies.

Poland’s ORLEN and Ukraine’s Naftogaz Group have agreed to deepen their LNG cooperation by jointly using regasification terminals and transmission infrastructure across the Baltic and Eastern Europe, which would include Poland’s Świnoujście terminal as part of the wider logistics chain.