Intercontinental Exchange (ICE) has launched new options on the Japan-Korea Marker (JKM) liquefied natural gas benchmark, LNG balance-of-month freight futures and UK base electricity options.
Through 2030, global electricity consumption will grow at least 2.5 times as fast as overall energy demand, the International Energy Agency (IEA) forecasts, with emerging Asian economies accounting for near 80% of incremental electricity and related LNG demand to fuel gas peaking power stations.
Pakistan and Qatar are in advanced talks to get at least four LNG cargoes routed through the Strait of Hormuz, as Pakistan faces an acute LNG crunch of about 400 million cubic feet per day (mmcf/d). That supply gap already caused electricity shortages and load-shedding.
The European Commission is considering introducing gas price caps, enhanced power purchase agreements (PPA) or contracts for difference (CfD) to shield industry and households from soaring energy costs caused by the halt in Middle Eastern LNG deliveries.
Investors are seeking better incentives for integrated LNG and power projects in Vietnam as guaranteed electricity offtake levels are still too low to make projects break even. Developers said Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) with 25-year tenures or a higher minimum offtake level, ideally 85-90%, would help secure predictable cash flows and attract international lenders.
Soaring electricity demand from AI data centres could transform the upcoming global LNG glut into a shortage by 2030, QatarEnergy CEO Saad al-Kaabi said at the LNG2026 conference in Doha. If demand overshoots expectations and the LNG build-out cannot keep pace, prices may spiral.
Energy import-dependent Japan has again lowered LNG-burn for power generation to the lowest levels in a decade due to high fuel prices and robust recovery of nuclear baseload power. Japan’s nuclear reactors generated the highest electricity output since the 2011 Fukushima disaster while gas-fired generation fell 25% in the first half this year.
Nhon Trach 3&4, Vietnam’s first two LNG-fired power plants were inaugurated on Sunday. The US$1.4 billion, 1.6 GW project secured US$1.1 billion in financing – without state guarantees.
New Fortress Energy (NFE) is withholding shipments to Puerto Rico over disputed payment terms. The withheld cargoes undermine the island’s ability to meet electricity demand, raising the risk of blackouts during the peak summer season.
Iraq is nearing completion on its first ever LNG purchase agreement, as the country struggles to meet growing electricity demand amid recurring power outages. Excelerate Energy is one of the leading bidders in a competitive tender and currently in advanced talks with Iraq’s state-run South Gas Company.