Another record bites the dust. According to data from LSEG, the U.S. exported a record high amount of liquefied natural gas (LNG) in March, selling 9.3 million metric tons (MT). The previous record was 8.6 MT in December 2023. March’s record “smashed” the old record, and there’s no sign that the higher volumes will retreat. There’s no going back! Read More “US LNG Exports Hit New Monthly High in March, Smashing Old Record”
The European Union’s idiotic methane regulations will be enforced beginning this year. Domestic (European) oil, gas, and coal companies must monitor, measure, and report their emissions. The same restrictions apply to energy imports from other countries, including the U.S. (see Europeans Presume to Impose Their Regulations on American Gas). The arrogant Europeans presume to tell us that we must follow *their* regulations! As we previously reported, our drillers appear intent on complying with the Euro weenies because our exporters want to sell LNG to them (see U.S. LNG Exporters Continue Strict Methane Regs Despite Rollbacks). Playing footsie with Europe continues, according to the president and CEO of LNG Allies, a trade group representing U.S. LNG exporters. Read More “US LNG Producers Still Playing Footsie with EU re Methane Regs”
Last week, MDN brought you the great news that Crowley, the largest shipping company in the U.S., launched what is the very first Jones Act-compliant LNG carrier to ferry LNG from the Gulf Coast to Puerto Rico, a U.S. territory (see Crowley Launches 1st U.S. Jones Act LNG Carrier to Serve Puerto Rico). Until now, P.R. has had to import its LNG from other countries. The Jones Act requires any ship running between U.S. ports to be built, crewed, and flagged in the U.S. However, the ship Crowley is now using was built in France! So, how does it qualify under the Jones Act? This is “The Rest of the Story,” as the late, great Paul Harvey used to say. Read More “Rest of the Story re U.S. Jones Act LNG Carrier Serving Puerto Rico”
U.S. liquefied natural gas (LNG) exporters plan to continue to monitor and curb their methane emissions despite President Trump’s plans to roll back EPA climate regulations (see EPA Launches Biggest Deregulatory Action in U.S. History, Favors O&G). Why? They seek to meet the standards of overseas import markets. Among recent actions by the EPA is the rollback of a requirement for companies to report their annual emissions of the so-called greenhouse gas methane and a decision to review the so-called “endangerment finding,” the legal foundation for all U.S. climate regulation that identifies “greenhouse gases” as pollutants. Read More “U.S. LNG Exporters Continue Strict Methane Regs Despite Rollbacks”
Yesterday, Venture Global received approval from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to export liquefied natural gas (LNG) to non-FTA countries for its third project, CP2 LNG, in Cameron Parish, Louisiana. Venture Global is working through a final investment decision (FID) to proceed with the project. The DOE approval is a key milestone for the project, a project that, in all likelihood, will use at least some Marcellus/Utica molecules. However, there are miles to go before it gets built, comes online, and then begins to honor its customer contracts. YEARS. Read More “DOE Grants CP2 LNG (La.) Approval to Export to Non-FTA Countries”
Yesterday, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) issued its approval for Venture Global’s Calcasieu Pass (CP) 2 LNG export project (see our story today, DOE Grants CP2 LNG (La.) Approval to Export to Non-FTA Countries). The DOE is ramping up and will likely approve many more projects. However, there is a problem: a hidden “landmine” left behind by the Biden DOE on its way out the door, meant to be used by Big Green in opposing Trump’s DOE actions. The landmine is a sham “study” on LNG and climate change issued by the Bidenistas (see Biden/Granholm DOE Releases Garbage Anti-LNG Exports “Study”). Read More “Trump DOE to Carefully Deal with Biden DOE’s Sham LNG Report”
This is a big deal. Shipping giant Crowley, with over 170 vessels mostly in the Jones Act fleet and approximately 7,000 employees around the world (employs more U.S. mariners than any other company), announced it has launched a Jones Act-compliant LNG carrier, U.S.-built and crewed, that will carry LNG from Gulf Coast export facilities to Puerto Rico (P.R.). Since P.R. is a U.S. territory, any U.S. LNG arriving on its shore must be transported on an American crewed and built ship to comply with the century-old Jones Act. Otherwise, the LNG must come from another country. Yeah, screwed up, royally. But, now, there is one ship that can carry LNG from the U.S. to P.R. Finally! Read More “Crowley Launches 1st U.S. Jones Act LNG Carrier to Serve Puerto Rico”
Earlier this month, MDN reported that S&P Global had released Phase 2 of an LNG study that shows U.S. LNG capacity additions would *significantly* lower global GHG emissions compared to the alternatives (see S&P Study: U.S. LNG Would “Significantly Lower” World GHG Emissions). Phase 1 of the study (last December) found more U.S. LNG exports will NOT raise the domestic price of natural gas, at least not appreciably (see S&P Study: More U.S. LNG Exports WON’T Raise Domestic Gas Prices). The good folks at Cove Point LNG sent MDN a copy of a study the owners commissioned specifically looking at the environmental impact of Cove Point. Rather than use modeling, Cove Point engaged ICF to look at the data from the facility’s first five years of exports, including the source of the gas, where it was shipped, and how it was used (often to offset coal and oil). The results (full report below) are tremendous! Read More “Research Shows Cove Point LNG Lowered Global GHG Emissions 7 MMt/Yr”
An explosive expose appearing on the Daily Caller website confirms rumors from last year that the Biden Department of Energy “intentionally buried” a final draft version of a study that would have undermined its January 2024 decision to pause approvals for liquefied natural gas (LNG) export projects. Last October, we brought you the rumor that a study had been circulated at DOE that shows LNG is NOT bad for the environment and was subsequently covered up (see Biden-Harris DOE Covering Up Study Conducted Before LNG “Pause”). DOE personnel, speaking with the Daily Caller, confirm it happened. Read More “Biden Admin ‘Intentionally Buried’ Study Favorable to LNG Exports”
Up/down, up/down, up/down, up/down… We can’t count how many times the Freeport LNG export facility has come online to go offline again, with the cycle repeating (see our MANY stories about the uneven Freeport here). It’s become kind of a joke. Except, it’s no joke. Freeport is (still, for now) the country’s second-largest LNG export plant, with a capacity to liquefy 2.1 Bcf/d (billion cubic feet per day) of natural gas. Some of that gas comes from the Marcellus/Utica, which is why we care about the upness and downness of this facility. Two of the facility’s three trains “tripped off” last week. They were restarted “quickly,” but the outage contributed to a decrease in feedgas flows for LNG export. Read More “Freeport LNG Trains 2 & 3 Go Offline Yet Again, Quick Restart”
The nonpartisan S&P Global released Phase 1 of a study on LNG exports last December on the very same day the Biden/Granholm Department of Energy released its LNG export “study” (see S&P Study: More U.S. LNG Exports WON’T Raise Domestic Gas Prices). The S&P study, which came out a few hours earlier than the DOE study, said more U.S. LNG exports will NOT raise the domestic price of natural gas, at least not appreciably. The Biden-corrupted DOE report said the opposite, that more LNG exports will cause domestic natural gas prices to go through the roof (and consequently, we shouldn’t build more LNG export facilities). Thank God nobody listened to that claptrap. S&P is back with Phase 2 of their comprehensive LNG study. Phase 2 (full copy below) says U.S. LNG capacity additions would *significantly* lower GHG emissions compared to alternatives. Read More “S&P Study: U.S. LNG Would “Significantly Lower” World GHG Emissions”
The European Union’s idiotic methane regulations will be enforced beginning this year. Domestic (European) oil, gas, and coal companies must monitor, measure and report their emissions. The same restrictions would apply to energy imports from other countries, including the U.S. (see Europeans Presume to Impose Their Regulations on American Gas). The arrogant Europeans presume to tell us that we must follow *their* regulations! But then Trump took command of the White House and everything changed. Read More “Europe Begins to Back Down from Imposing Their Regs on Our LNG”
Shell, which dropped “Royal Dutch” from its name after leaving The Netherlands in 2022 due to high taxes and overregulation, is one of the world’s supermajors (oil and gas driller). Shell is also one of (perhaps THE) largest producers and vendors of LNG, or liquefied natural gas, worldwide. The company has just released its ninth annual LNG Outlook 2025 (full copy below), which highlights key trends in 2024 and hauls out the crystal ball to predict where things are heading over the next 15 years. Shell predicts that global demand for liquefied natural gas (LNG) is forecast to rise by around 60% by 2040, which is largely driven by economic growth in Asia, emissions reductions in heavy industry and transport, and the impact of artificial intelligence. Read More “Shell’s LNG Outlook Predicts Worldwide LNG Demand Up 60% by 2040”
At the end of December, Venture Global’s Plaquemines LNG export facility officially shipped its first cargo…to Germany (see Venture Global’s Plaquemines LNG Ships First Cargo to Germany). Unfortunately for Venture Global’s contracted customers, they will have to wait to receive their legally contracted shipments. Venture Global has admitted it will (as it has with its Calcasieu Pass facility) pretend the Plaquemines LNG is not “commercially ready” for 2-3 years, allowing the company to cream the market and make more money for the first couple of years (see Plaquemines LNG Coming Online, Will Hose Customers for 2 Years). It’s a disgusting business practice. However, customers are still willing to sign up knowing how the company operates. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) has just approved a request by Venture Global to increase the Plaquemines plant production capacity by another 13%. Read More “FERC Approves Increased Production at VG’s Plaquemines LNG”
MDN chronicled the rise and fall of Tellurian, founded by Charif Souki (who also founded Cheniere Energy), and Tellurian’s LNG export project, Driftwood. Tellurian’s primary focus was to build Driftwood LNG, a 27.6 million tonnes of LNG per year facility that would cost $14.5 billion. Construction began on the project in March 2022, even without a final investment decision (see Tellurian Begins Construction of Driftwood LNG with No FID). The company spent more than $1 billion in building Driftwood before all the wheels came off financially. Last July, Australian LNG giant Woodside announced a deal to buy Tellurian (and Driftwood) for $1.2 billion (see Australia’s Woodside Buying Tellurian & Driftwood LNG for $1.2B). The deal closed in October. Read More “Woodside Close to a Decision to Proceed with Former Driftwood LNG”
Well, look at this. After liquefying and exporting over 350 cargoes of LNG from March 1, 2022, through January 2025, Venture Global says its Calcasieu Pass (CP) LNG export facility is finally “ready” to begin “commercial” operations….on April 15th of this year. Nearly three years after it began shipping LNG. Venture Global has claimed the CP facility was not commercially ready until now. Read More “Venture Global Says CP LNG Finally Ready on April 15”