摘要: |
The U.S. has stepped up as a leading provider of natural gas to Europe, helping ease the supply crunch caused by Russia's spiteful cutback just as the winter heating season approaches. Using export data compiled by Re-finitiv, a New York-based gas research and analytical firm, Reuters reported on July 26 that the U.S. had exported around 57 billion cubic meters (bcm) of liquefied natural gas (LNG) through June, 39 bcm of which sailed to Europe. Those volumes eclipse the 34 bcm exported to Europe for all of 2021 and are on pace to far exceed the 15-bcm commitment President Biden made to the continent in March. In its Aug. 9 Short-Term Energy Outlook, the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) predicted U.S. LNG exports will increase 14% this year compared to 2021, averaging 11.2 Bcf/d, with an average of 12.7 Bcf/d to be exported largely from Gulf Coast terminals next year. U.S. exports, however, suffered a hiccup on June 8 after a fire cut off the average 2 Bcf/d delivered from the Freeport LNG Development LP export facility in Texas. The nation's second largest export terminal will likely resume partial operation in October but is not expected to be fully operational until the end of 2022. |