Surf's up for LNG in Europe
Everyone expected a wave of supply to be hitting Europe’s market by now. It hasn’t arrived yet, but it will
The wave of liquefied natural gas expected to hit European shores in 2016 didn’t arrive, nor is it likely to in 2017, though volumes should be higher. But a global glut is approaching and it makes 2018 the year when Europe should see a surge in supply and possibly a price war erupt with Russian pipeline gas. In a February report, the Oxford Institute for Energy Studies (OIES) likened the predictions of an LNG surge to Europe—often referred to as the “market of last resort” due to European prices tending to be the lowest on offer globally (if you exclude the net-exporter US)—as the boy who cried wolf. “Since 2015 analysts and researchers have announced the imminent arrival of a surge of LNG i
Also in this section
5 March 2026
Gas is a central pillar of Colombia’s energy system, but declining production poses a significant challenge, and LNG will be increasingly needed as a stopgap. A recent major offshore gas discovery offers hope, but policy improvements are also required, Camilo Morales, secretary general of Naturgas, the Colombian gas association, tells Petroleum Economist
4 March 2026
The continent’s inventories were already depleted before conflict erupted in the Middle East, causing prices to spike ahead of the crucial summer refilling season
4 March 2026
The US president has repeatedly promised to lower gasoline prices, but this ambition conflicts with his parallel aim to increase drilling and could be upended by his war against Iran
4 March 2026
With the Strait of Hormuz effectively closed following US-Israel strikes and Iran’s retaliatory escalation, Fujairah has become the region’s critical pressure release valve—and is now under serious threat
