LNG

With five US LNG export projects set to start operations and ramp up production by the end of 2027, the country’s total gas export capacity is forecast to grow nearly 30%. According to EIA data, exports are bound to rise 1.9 billion cubic feet per day (Bcf/d) in 2026 to average 17.0 Bcf/d and increase by an additional 1.5 Bcf/d) in 2027.

Argentina’s state-controlled YPF, together with partners Eni and XRG, has submitted an application to enrol the Argentina LNG project in the country’s Large Investment Incentive Regime (RIGI). The $51 billion project will export liquefied natural gas from the Vaca Muerta shale formation, with operations targeted to begin in 2031.

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.

Chevron has agreed to supply 46 petajoules of pipeline gas to Alinta Energy from July 1, 2027, drawing its equity interests in the Gorgon, Wheatstone and North West Shelf LNG projects. The accord covers pipeline gas, not LNG export cargoes, as the competition between local supply obligation and LNG exports intensifies.

Falling fertility rates and an early peak in global population are set to reshape LNG demand, reinforcing its role in power generation while capping broader growth in gas consumption. Global population could peak at around 8.9 billion by 2053, earlier and lower than previously forecast, as fertility rates decline from 2.6 births per woman in 2007 to around 2.2 today, according to Wood Mackenzie. China’s population is already 9.6 million below the UN’s 2024 projection, underscoring the speed of demographic change.

UTM Offshore is forging ahead with Nigeria’s first floating LNG project after securing a 15-year gas supply agreement that removes one of the biggest obstacles to reaching final investment decision (FID), now expected in Q4-2026.

Vietnam is relying more heavily on thermal coal as heightened security risks around the Strait of Hormuz adds another layer of risk for a market that is still scaling up its regas infrastructure, while the Ministry of Industry and Traded helped secure coal imports for power generation.

Shell has raised its second-quarter guidance for integrated gas production and LNG liquefaction volumes, while flagging stronger trading performance, as heightened market volatility linked to Middle East tensions supports earnings.

India has lifted an order imposing restrictions on gas suppliers as LNG deliveries from the Middle East resume. The Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas on Saturday withdrew provisions which had mandated all imported LNG and domestically produced gas to be sold to a list of priority customers.

The decade of structurally cheap US gas is drawing to a close, with Henry Hub prices forecast to rise towards $5 per MMBtu by 2035 from below $3 per MMBtu, as LNG demand growth tightens domestic balances, Wood Mackenzie said.