Rystad Energy Predicts Freeport LNG Restart to be March Earliest
In what has become something of a parlor game, we have yet another prediction about when the 2 Bcf/d Freeport LNG export terminal, located in Quintana Island, Texas, will return to service. Freeport has been offline since June 2022, when the plant experienced an explosion and subsequent fire (see Explosion Rocks Freeport LNG Export Plant – Offline for 3 Weeks). Freeport, which exports at least some Marcellus/Utica molecules, has changed its estimated restart date multiple times. Earlier this month, Freeport revised its restart date to the end of January (see Familiar Pattern: Freeport LNG Delays Restart Again, to End Jan.). Although the company has held to that date, multiple analysts and sources say ain’t no way. The latest expert to weigh in on a proposed restart date is Rystad Energy.
Read More “Rystad Energy Predicts Freeport LNG Restart to be March Earliest”
Zooming out for a broader view of issues around the world that affect the natural gas market here in the U.S. is helpful from time to time. What’s happening in Europe right now, and how will that affect our gas market in 2023? How about China? Is supply/demand in balance, and how does that affect the Henry Hub price? And what about LNG? Rigzone looks at six things the natural gas market can expect in 2023. Their insights give us an interesting view of what the year may hold for natgas.
The 2 Bcf/d Freeport LNG export terminal, located in Quintana Island, Texas, has been offline and not producing LNG since June 2022 due to an explosion (see 
Three different highly-placed sources have whispered to a Reuters reporter that the Freeport LNG export facility, which has been offline since last June, will continue to be offline until at least sometime in February. Are you surprised? We aren’t.
The Freeport LNG export terminal, located in Quintana Island, Texas, has been offline and not producing LNG since June 2022 due to an explosion (see 
The Freeport LNG export terminal, located in Quintana Island, Texas, has been offline and not producing LNG since early June due to an explosion (see 
The Freeport LNG export facility maintains it will restart accepting feedgas by the end of December. Following a request by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to Freeport to respond to a list of 64 questions, we wonder if the plant will make that deadline. We’ve lost track of how many times Freeport, which has been offline since early June following an explosion in the plant, has changed the restart date. Last week the company said the final final final final restart would happen by the end of December (see 
Three weeks ago, Freeport LNG, which has been out of commission since early June, changed the target date it would restart from November to mid-December (see 
From time to time, it’s helpful to revisit our longstanding relationship with Canada with respect to natural gas flowing across the border–both ways. It sounds strange on the surface to say that there are dozens of pipelines that cross our joint border–some flowing gas to Canada (exports), others flowing gas from our neighbors to the north (imports). Why don’t we both just keep our own gas to ourselves instead of swapping? Because in some areas, it makes sense for Canada to produce the gas and ship it to us, and in other areas, the reverse makes sense. Truth be told, Canada’s flows of gas to the U.S. help us maintain supply reliability during the winter months. So says the EIA.
The country of Japan is perenially either the #1 or #2 top LNG importer in the world. The country has virtually no domestic supplies of oil and gas and, therefore, must import what it uses. It’s no secret that Japan and its traders are some of the best in the world. So when Japan says supplies of LNG are getting tighter and that “Procurement [of LNG] can also be said to be in a state of war,” that’s alarming. And sobering. Japan says not enough money is being invested in LNG export projects, and although this year most countries can muddle through, beginning next year, it’s going to be a problem.
In March of this year, the three Democrats who occupy and control the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) sent a loud and clear signal they don’t like the Commonwealth LNG plan to erect a new LNG export plant in Cameron Parish, La. due to concerns over so-called environmental justice (see 