International

摘要

Liquefied natural gas production may increase at the slowest pace in 28 years because of equipment breakdowns, reduced gas supplies and delays in new projects, a London-based consultant said. Output may rise less than 2% in 2008 from 172.6 million metric tons in 2007, said Andy Flower, an industry consultant and former executive at BP Plc's LNG business.rn"There will be a big temptation to defer final investment decisions. Nobody knows what will happen to costs," he told Bloomberg News. Growth in LNG trade has slowed after expanding 7.3% in 2007 because of the delayed commissioning of new ventures in Qatar, Russia and Yemen, technical problems in Algeria and Norway, and limited gas supplies to feed liquefaction plants in Nigeria and Egypt. The global recession may also cut LNG demand as it curtails electricity use in Asia.