LNG industry leads way as transitional fuel and main developer of energy and affiliated sectors Spot and futures trading and more infrastructure will enhance economic and environmental benefits

摘要

Within the natural gas industry,the fastest growing source of supply will be LNG,which is anticipated to grow at approximately 4 percent annually,providing a flexible energy solution to meet the needs of many countries.At the same time,the LNG industry is being reshaped by a range of factors,including the new sources of supply emerging from the US and Africa.Shipping expansion is also taking place and the building of more floating storage and regasification units is increasing the penetration of LNG into emerging markets and meeting the needs of buyers such as China and India.Buyers in mature markets are reconsidering the balance between long-term and shorter-term contracts,with the spot market growing year-by-year.An increasing share of contracts are linked to hub-based pricing.As a reflection of these driving forces in the industry,new business models are emerging as well,with new players entering various points in the LNG supply chain.There has been rapid growth in the number of countries supplying LNG,almost doubling between the start of the century and 2018.This has significantly increased the flexibility and security of gas supply options for importing countries.