LNG: lots today, even more tomorrow
Vast amounts of export capacity are coming on stream, so it's just as well that demand looks set to keep growing
The liquefied natural gas revolution is well and truly upon us. Global export capacity stands at around 290m tonnes a year, with a staggering 60m t/y of that added since early 2016 and a further 80m t/y due over the next couple of years. Australia is set to overtake Qatar as the world's largest LNG exporter next year, when Shell's Prelude floating LNG project and Inpex and Total's Ichthys facility reach full capacity. But now Qatar is back in the race, ending its long-standing moratorium on building new export capacity and fighting for its share of a fast-expanding market. Doha has lined up three new trains, which should take export capacity to 100m t/y from 77m t/y by 2023. Canny timing, it
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6 March 2026
The March 2026 issue of Petroleum Economist is out now!
6 March 2026
After Europe’s rapid buildout of floating LNG import capacity, Exmar CEO Carl-Antoine Saverys says future growth in floating gas infrastructure will increasingly be driven by developing markets as lower prices, rising energy demand and the need to replace coal unlock new opportunities for unconventional and tailor-made solutions
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
