Benchmark futures fell as much as 3.5%. While the continent’s gas inventories dropped last week amid a cold spell, they are still far above historic averages.

The UAE has an installed capacity of 42 GW (end of 2021), with 35 GW of gas, 2.8 GW of nuclear and 2.7 GW of solar.

According to the latest issue of FERC's monthly "Energy Infrastructure Update" (with data through November 30, 2022), "high probability" additions by solar to U.S. generating capacity between December 2022 and November 2025 will total 72,809 megawatts (MW).

Dutch front-month futures, were 0.2% lower at €66.80 a megawatt-hour by 8:58 a.m. in Amsterdam, after rising as much as 3.1% earlier.

Out of the total, €9bn will go to gas infrastructure, including €6.3bn in gas transportation (including the upgrade of the 430 km Adriatic Line onshore pipeline), €1.4bn in LNG infrastructure (purchase of of two new FSRU-based LNG terminals and development of related infrastructure), and €1.3bn in the expansion of gas storage capacity.

Preliminary production figures for December 2022 show an average daily production of 1 983 000 barrels of oil, NGL and condensate.

Dutch front-month futures, Europe’s gas benchmark, were 2.8% lower at €59 a megawatt-hour by 8:29 a.m. in Amsterdam.

The region’s storage sites are around 81% full, some 20 percentage points above the five-year average. That’s providing confidence that Europe will end the winter with inventories over 50% and “more than enough gas to completely replenish its storage by the start of next winter,”

Gas prices may have dropped, but are still almost double their five-year average for the time of year.

China's natural gas imports also fell, by 9.9% to 109.25 Mt in 2022 (121.26 Mt in 2021). LNG imports dropped by 19% to 64.13 Mt in 2022 (79.3 Mt in 2021). Similarly, China’s coal imports fell 9.2% to 293.2 Mt in 2022 (335 Mt in 2021).