According to the Supplementary Agreement, gas supplies to China via the Power of Siberia gas pipeline will commence in December 2019.

Qatar mounted what appeared to be a show of strength on Tuesday, when the state-owned Qatar Petroleum announced plans to raise liquefied natural gas capacity by 30 percent. Its immediate effect will be to worsen a glut on the LNG market where Australia, the United States and Russia vie.

Spain’s Repsol has agreed to establish a joint venture with Russian oil company Gazprom Neft, in the latest move by a European oil and gas company to deepen co-operation with Russia despite western sanctions targeting the country’s energy sector.

The UK's first US LNG cargo will arrive at the Isle of Grain terminal on around July 8, according to shipping sources.

Natural gas net imports (imports minus exports) set a record low of 685 billion cubic feet (Bcf) in 2016, continuing a decline for the 9th consecutive year. In recent years both U.S. natural gas production and consumption have increased, although production has grown slightly faster, reducing the reliance on natural gas imports and lowering domestic prices.

The Indian consortium led by the state-owned Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) is willing to spend as much as $11bn to develop the giant Iranian natural gas field it discovered in 2008.

U.S. Rig Count is up 509 rigs from last year's count of 431, with oil rigs up 415, gas rigs up 95, and miscellaneous rigs down 1 to 0. Canadian Rig Count is up 113 rigs from last year's count of 76, with oil rigs up 77, gas rigs up 37, and miscellaneous rigs down 1 to 0.

Near-curve contracts are seen edging higher on crude gains. On the spot, the Dutch TTF day-ahead was trading at Eur15.30/MWh, down 2.5 euro cent/MWh from Wednesday's close. German prices were also seen ticking down, with the NCG spot contract down 15 euro cent at Eur15.65/MWh, while the GASPOOL spot was 2.5 euro cent lower at Eur15.40/MWh.

South Korean companies announced plans to import more American shale gas and build new factories in the U.S. as the two countries' leaders prepare to hold summit talks in Washington where trade is expected to be a key issue.

The NYMEX July natural gas futures contract settled 1 cent higher at $3.037/MMBtu on Tuesday, as a bullish weather outlook continued to drive up prices.

Among China's LNG suppliers Australia has fared best, with imports rising 42.7 percent in the first five months to 5.39 million tonnes, almost double that of second-placed Qatar at 2.84 million tonnes.

Turkstream has been promoted by Mr Putin as a way to deepenaccess to the Turkish market, which was the second biggest for Russian natural gas last year after Germany, and to support his strategic objective to bypass Ukrainian pipelines.

Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt on Monday cut ties with Qatar, accusing the country of supporting extremism. Qatar denies the allegations.

Qatar and Russia have long been rivals in global gas markets. Qatar's supplies came under the spotlight in the past month after Saudi Arabia cut economic and diplomatic ties, in a move ratcheting up a wider violent and diplomatic conflict in the Middle East.

Australia is set to apply LNG export controls, aimed at securing domestic supply of gas and keeping prices of the fuel in check, from January 1, the government announced earlier this week despite industry warnings about the decision's potential impact on energy investment.