LNG

May 11 (LNGJ) - US LNG exports rose in the past week to May 9 as six LNG carriers with a combined capacity of 21 billion cubic feet departed, four tankers from the Sabine Pass facility in Louisiana and two vessels from Cove Point in Maryland. Two other shipments were also set to leave from Sabine Pass and Cove Point as a cargo was being lifted from each facility through May 10. The US Energy Information Administration said spot natural gas was trading lower at most points with the US benchmark Henry Hub at around $2.72 per million British thermal units. Prices at the Algonquin Citygate for Boston were last at $2.27 per MMBtu and at the Southern California Citygate prices dropped 50 cents to $3.12 per MMBtu. Shale-gas prices were also lower at $2.20 per MMBtu at the Dominion North point where the EIA noted a widening of the discount in prices between the Appalachian Basin and the Henry Hub.

Jan 25 (LNGJ) - US natural gas futures on the New York Mercantile Exchange continued to soar because of forecasts of high natural gas withdrawals in the next storage report on January 25 from the US Energy Information Administration as well as the expected return of cold weather to the East Coast. The NYMEX front-month contract was last at $3.48 per million British thermal units while the US Henry Hub benchmark spot price was at $3.33 per MMBtu. European prices were little changed from seasonal averages, with the UK National Balancing Point price being at the equivalent of $6.80 per MMBtu and the Dutch Title Transfer Facility (TTF) price quoted at $6.50 per MMBtu. Energy prices were underpinned by the North Sea Bent crude oil price hitting $71 per barrel.