LNG INVESTMENTS WILL UP

BLOOMBERG - The liquefied natural gas industry needs to start planning for shortages even as analysts project a glut starting next year, according to Sanford C. Bernstein & Co.

The next wave of LNG projects is set to begin as early as this year, Bernstein analysts including Neil Beveridge said Thursday in a report. That's a more aggressive timetable than the firm made in September, when it said investment decisions for the next group of plants wouldn't come until 2019.

Energy companies will approve investments for more than 150 million tons a year of new supply capacity over the next four years, according to the report. By comparison, global consumption was 286 million tons in 2017. Projects in Qatar, Papua New Guinea, Russia and the U.S. are most economically appealing, followed by Mozambique, Australian expansion projects and an Alaskan mega-project, Bernstein said.

Demand grew by about 10 percent last year, led by emerging markets and especially China, where coal-to-gas switching policies have the country on track to surpass Japan as the world's biggest LNG importer by 2030, Beveridge said. New projects coming online over the next few years will result in excess production capacity of as much as 54 million tons in 2020, but the market will remain tight in winter when demand increases.

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Earlier:

2018, January, 4, 12:25:00 QATARGAS & RASGAS MERGER TOGY - The merger of the world’s largest LNG producers, Qatargas and RasGas, is complete, and the new entity, called Qatargas, has started operations, parent company Qatar Petroleum (QP) announced

2018, January, 3, 15:50:00 CHINA'S LNG IMPORTS UP 48.4% PLATTS - Chinese imports of LNG in 2017 totaled 37.89 million mt, up 48.4% year on year, while imports by South Korea totaled 36.51 million mt, up 10.81% year on year.

2017, December, 25, 20:10:00 SHELL - KUWAIT LNG BLOOMBERG - Kuwait Petroleum Corp. signed a 15-year liquefied natural gas import deal with Royal Dutch Shell Plc to help the oil exporting nation meet growing domestic energy demand.

2017, December, 22, 22:25:00 GAZPROM DEVELOPING LNG GAZPROM - With LNG demand on the rise, Gazprom is making further efforts in this line of business. Русский | English

2017, December, 22, 22:10:00 SAUDIS NEED LNG BLOOMBERG - Al-Falih wouldn’t rule out buying LNG from Russia, which this month opened a new plant in the Arctic, although he cautioned it wasn’t the most economical option at the moment.

2017, December, 18, 12:30:00 S.KOREAN LNG PLATTS - South Korea aims to boost the portion of LNG in its electricity generation mix to 18.8% in 2030 from an estimated 16.9% this year as part of efforts to reduce its heavy reliance on coal and nuclear, the energy ministry said.

2017, December, 8, 17:25:00 U.S. LNG UP EIA - In August 2017, total U.S. natural gas liquefaction capacity in the Lower 48 states increased to 2.8 billion cubic feet per day (Bcf/d) following the completion of the fourth liquefaction unit at the Sabine Pass liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal in Louisiana. With increasing liquefaction capacity and utilization, U.S. LNG exports averaged 1.9 Bcf/d, and capacity utilization averaged 80% this year, based on data through November.