US LNG EXPORTS: THE JOURNEY FROM IMPORTER TO EXPORTER

摘要

According to the International Energy Agency, "many of the world's long-held tenets of the energy sector are being rewritten." No where is this statement more relevant than in the United States where just a few years ago it was expected that the United States would be the world's largest importer of liquefied natural gas (LNG). Fast forward to today where the question now is whether the United States will become the world's largest exporter of LNG? As the US shale gas revolution took hold, the subject of whether or not the US should export its newfound abundance of shale gas as LNG to foreign countries grew to become one of the most hotly debated energy topics in America. In the US, the issue captivated people from a broad range of spectrums including members of Congress, policy makers, energy companies, manufacturers, environmental groups, and the general public. The issue also captured the attention of the global gas world as both buyers and sellers anticipated how market dynamics would change if the US became a major LNG exporter.