As an article in Offshore Energy says, “LNG as a fuel should be a no-brainer” for the shipping industry. LNG used for marine applications (powering ships) is an important and expanding market for natural gas, including Marcellus/Utica gas. However, the adoption of LNG in the newbuilding sector “seems to be rather slow.” Why is that?
Read More “Why is Shipping – Important Market for NatGas – Slow to Use LNG?”
For nearly every year of the past 20+ years, there has been a reliable, year-in-and-year-out #1 export (in dollar revenue) from the United States to the rest of the world. Care to hazard a guess what it has been? Aircraft, mostly from Boeing. The U.S. has a new most-valuable export in 2021 that has flown on by aircraft exports: Natural gas. The fact that natgas has dethroned aircraft exports does not square well with rabid American leftists who seek to destroy all fossil fuel markets, including natural gas. The vaunted position of natgas also presents a problem for the Biden administration and their plans to slip AOC’s Fat Green Deal through under the disguise of an “infrastructure and jobs” plan.
Read More “Natural Gas Flies by Aircraft to Become #1 Export from U.S.”
Cheniere Energy, the biggest LNG exporter operating in the U.S., published a “Climate Scenario Analysis Report” last week (full copy below). The report analyzes the long-term resilience of Cheniere’s business and the potential implications for LNG supply and demand in various future climate scenarios through 2040. Cheniere predicts LNG demand and exports to continue growing through 2040, but after that, LNG will decline due to continued global action to reduce so-called greenhouse gas emissions.
Read More “Cheniere Report Predicts LNG Demand Grows Thru 2040, Then Declines”
Last week a group of U.S. Senators, including John Kennedy (R-La.), Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.), Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), and Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), introduced the Natural Gas Export Expansion Act. The bill, if it becomes law, will remove regulatory bottlenecks for LNG (liquefied natural gas) and increase LNG exports to the more than 160 countries in the World Trade Organization.
Read More “GOP Senators Introduce Bill to Promote More U.S. LNG Exports”
Elba Island LNG, built and owned by Kinder Morgan, uses Marcellus Shale gas as its feed gas. While all 10 “mini-trains” at the facility are and have been built for some time, one of the trains experienced a fire nearly a year ago (last May) and has remained offline since that time (see Compressor Fire Shuts Down Three Elba Island LNG Export Units). The facility is capable of even more LNG production once the final unit comes online again. When will that be? KM “may be able to restore service” in 4Q, according to a spokesperson.
Read More “KM’s 10th Elba Island LNG Unit, Offline Since 2020, May Restart Q4”
Elon Musk is like a god to the wacko environmental movement. For those who don’t know, Musk founded PayPal in 1999. He then founded SpaceX in 2002 and Tesla Motors in 2003. Tesla manufactures electric-only cars. Musk became a multimillionaire in his late 20s when he sold his start-up company, Zip2, to a division of Compaq Computers. In January 2021, Musk reportedly surpassed Jeff Bezos as the wealthiest man in the world. But some of the bloom is coming off the rose of Elon Musk–at least for woke leftists. You see, Elon has a nasty natural gas habit. The god has fallen…
Read More “Even the Great Elon Musk Can’t Build E-Cars Without Natural Gas”
Cheniere Energy built and operates two LNG export facilities, one in Sabine Pass, Louisiana (just across the border from Texas), and the other in Corpus Christi, Texas. The company announced yesterday that the third (and final) train at the Corpus Christi facility came online March 26. Marcellus/Utica gas flows to both the Sabine Pass and (potentially) to the Corpus Christi facility, hence our interest in these huge LNG facilities along the Gulf Coast.
Read More “Cheniere’s Corpus Christi LNG Fully Online with Train 3, M-U Gas”
For years Vermont has made millions of dollars selling Renewable Energy Credits (RECs) to other states–a scam that allows pretentious environmentalists to claim they’re helping out the environment when in fact they still burn the same fossil fuels and biomass (i.e. woodburning) as they always did by paying a fee, a REC, and absolving themselves of feeling bad about it. Think of modern-day RECs like the Catholic Church selling indulgences in the Middle Ages to absolve you of your sins, or at least lessen the punishment for your sins. RECs are the new indulgences of the post-everything era we live in now. Selling REC indulgences is about to go away for Vermonters, and it may lead to widespread blackouts.
Read More “Lack of Gas Pipes Means VT Heading for Elec Blackouts, LNG Imports”
New Fortress Energy (NFE), which likes to build and own as much of the LNG supply chain as possible, built and operates an LNG import terminal in San Juan, Puerto Rico. After the facility was up and running, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) dinged the company, asking for an explanation as to why they built it without FERC “Mother May I?” permission. New Fortress responded last July saying FERC told them no permission was needed (see New Fortress Pushes Back Against FERC re Puerto Rico LNG Facility). After mulling the matter over for eight months, FERC ruled last week that indeed it does have permission after all. Anti-fossil fuelers are hailing that decision as a possible indicator that FERC will also insert itself in NFE’s plans to build and operate an LNG plant in Wyalusing, PA, and a related export dock in Gibbstown, NJ.
Read More “Big Green Says FERC Ruling Could Impact NFE’s Wyalusing LNG Plan”
Feedgas, the natural gas flowing to U.S. LNG export terminals that gets liquefied and shipped to foreign destinations, hit a new all-time high on Wednesday: 11.65 billion cubic feet (Bcf) in a single day. All six major U.S. LNG export facilities currently in operation contributed to the surge, including Cove Point in Maryland and Elba Island in Georgia (both export 100% Marcellus/Utica molecules). M-U molecules are also exported from most of the other four active LNG export facilities, including large amounts of our molecules flowing to Cheniere Energy’s Sabine Pass facility.
Read More “US LNG Export Terminals Get Record High Shipments of NatGas”
New Fortress Energy (NFE), the brainchild of billionaire Wes Edens, came out of nowhere just a few years ago to become one of the world’s leading natural gas infrastructure and logistics operators, delivering natural gas (typically LNG) to customers in a number of other countries. NFE also builds and operates gas-fired electric plants in some of those countries. They own most of the supply chain, from liquefying the gas to shipping it, unloading it, and using it in plants built and operated by the company. We track NFE for their plan to build an LNG liquefaction plant in Bradford County, PA (northeastern part of the state). What’s happening with that project?
Read More “New Fortress Hasn’t Given Up on PA LNG, Focused Elsewhere”
Just at the time U.S. exports of LNG are once again ramping up, along comes a “bipartisan” group of legislators proposing a bill to require some LNG exports (as well as some petroleum exports) to be transported from our shores on U.S.-built and U.S.-flagged LNG carriers. The problem is, none currently exist! This is yet another massive screwup coming from some who mean well, and some who don’t. Some of the people backing the bill, like hapless Sen. Bob Casey (from Pennsylvania) likely don’t know this bill will destroy exports of Marcellus/Utica molecules. He’s just too dull to comprehend it. But others, we suspect, know exactly what this bill would do.
Read More “Danger: New Bill Threatens LNG Exports by Expanding Jones Act”
Anti-fossil fuel nuts in New Jersey are hoping the recent decision by the Delaware River Basin Commission (DRBC) to permanently ban fracking within the river basin bodes well for another project they dearly want to ax: an LNG export facility in Gibbstown, NJ. The DRBC is composed of five voting members, including the governors of NY, PA, DE and NJ. New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy is a left-wing Democrat and like others of his kind, susceptible to undue influence from the more radical elements in his party. Those radical elements now believe they can flip Murphy (and the other DRBC members) into blocking the Gibbstown LNG facility, after they so recently approved it, because of their frack ban decision.
Read More “Antis Use DRBC Frack Ban to Pressure Weak NJ Gov re LNG Exports”
Shell, one of the world’s biggest traders of LNG, released its fifth annual LNG Outlook report for 2021 last week (full copy below). Shell says global demand for liquefied natural gas (LNG) increased from 358 million tonnes (Mt) in 2019 to 360 Mt in 2020. It would have been a lot higher had it not been for the coronavirus pandemic and the shutdown of the worldwide economy. Hauling out the crystal ball, Shell makes a compelling case in the latest Outlook that worldwide demand for LNG will double to 700 Mt by 2040–in under 20 years! Can you imagine?
Read More “Shell Predicts Global LNG Demand Will Double to 700 Mt by 2040”
Cheniere Energy operates two huge LNG export facilities–one in Sabine Pass, Louisiana, the other in Corpus Christi, Texas. Cheniere is the #1 LNG exporter in the U.S. Yesterday the company issued its fourth-quarter and full-year 2020 update. The company said it secured over 4 million tonnes of LNG supply deals during 4Q20. While the company took a hit with canceled cargoes during the pandemic, Cheniere expects 2021 to rebound and be a banner year. Why do we care? Because a significant quantity of Marcellus/Utica gas flows to the Cheniere facilities for export.
Read More “Cheniere Energy Strikes New LNG Export Deals – Rebound in 2021”
The U.S. Dept. of Energy has just released its annual LNG report (full copy below) detailing every single shipment of LNG exported via tanker ship, identifying where it shipped from (which facility), who bought it, which country it sailed to, etc. Among the gems in the report: in December Cove Point LNG, now operated by Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway company, saw the highest prices for LNG exports during the month, averaging $7.11 per MMBtu. Cove Point was also the first LNG export facility to load a ship sailing to Croatia with American LNG.
Read More “Buffett’s Cove Point Averages Highest US LNG Export Prices in Dec”