LNG demand: do we have enough gas? Our gas prices? Our gas future? Somebody help!

2015 ◽  
Vol 55 (2) ◽  
pp. 494 ◽  
Author(s):  
Olumide Adisa

These are interesting times for the eastern Australian gas market with Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) projects coming online. The previously steady and long-term contract market for domestic gas supply on the east coast will be subject to market forces that are in part determined on the global stage. How will the market respond to these changes? The answer requires a comprehensive analysis of several scenarios and sensitivities around market models, as well as sophisticated modelling to capture these possibilities. This requires a tool that allows detailed modelling of the physical delivery of gas from producing fields, through pipelines and storages (including linepack) to demand points, with the capability to model any physical/financial constraint along the supply chain. The future lies in these scenarios and sensitivities. Employing a model developed through PLEXOS® gas module, this extended abstract analyses the effect of LNG on the domestic gas prices and supply in the short-to-medium and long-term. To establish any potential risk of gas shortage or particularly high prices, an analysis of the market was carried out from 2014-2023. Running several sensitivities on the demand forecast in this period, LNG effects on the market operations are examined.


2018 ◽  
Vol 58 (2) ◽  
pp. 513
Author(s):  
Philip Byrne

This extended abstract reviews how the east coast gas market is managing the major transition from being a ring-fenced domestic market to being part of an interconnected global trading market, and what still needs to be done to rebalance after half a decade of disruption. The east coast gas market has a great future ahead of it, but only if Australia acts quickly to open up access to new gas supply sources as existing gas fields mature and decline. The presence of a global liquefied natural gas (LNG) supply market on the east coast now provides an incentive for gas producers to invest in new provinces and new plays at a scale the domestic gas market could not have supported on its own. This can only be good for competition in the east coast gas market over the medium to long term, and potentially open up enormous supplies for the growth of Australian industry, akin to the US shale gas revolution. To make the most of the resources and infrastructure we now have on the eastern seaboard, there is a role for governments to play in ensuring access to resources and providing stable, coordinated, robust energy policy and regulatory frameworks that attract investment in further growth in the gas sector, the benefits of which will flow on to Australian industry more generally.



2020 ◽  
Vol 60 (2) ◽  
pp. 464
Author(s):  
Daniel C. Levy

Rystad Energy has conducted a well level supply side study for the Australian east coast gas market, quantifying the widely expected supply shortfall and its timing. This paper presents these findings, along with an economic and technical evaluation of new sources of supply relief and their potential impacts on the market balance. The study suggests the east coast has adequate gas supply to meet demand until 2024, with an average excess of 73 billion cubic feet (Bcf) per annum over this period. However, in 2025 the market will shift to under-supply, starting at 93 Bcf in 2025 and increasing to over half a trillion cubic feet by 2030. Sufficient supply in the short term does not warrant complacency. With the average duration between discovery and first gas for the region being 7.1 years since 1990, even if new (traditional) supply is discovered in 2020, the market will still be undersupplied for at least 3 years. We have identified the four most likely sources of supply relief for the market, each with their own merits, difficulties and development timelines. These new sources include the Beetaloo Sub-basin shales of the Northern Territory, undeveloped coal seam gas acreage, electrifying liquefied natural gas (LNG) export facilities to preserve in-field usage, and finally, LNG importation. A combination of at least two of these sources is required to balance the east coast gas market to 2030. Of the options, LNG importation is the most viable to stave off undersupply in the medium term (3 to 7 years). While Beetaloo Sub-basin shale gas appears the most viable option for secure, long-term supply relief.



2019 ◽  
Vol 59 (2) ◽  
pp. 686
Author(s):  
Will Pulsford

Historically LNG projects have been established to monetise large gas finds in remote areas with little existing gas demand. The development of gas supply to the LNG project generally stimulated demand growth in the domestic gas market. As the supplying fields depleted, the LNG projects faced competition with domestic producers for declining gas supplies, but this was late in the project life when LNG plant capital had already been recovered. Recently, LNG export projects have been established within existing mature gas markets, most notably in Australia and North America. These plants now face competition with domestic gas consumers for access to feed gas from the beginning of their operational life when strong revenue has the greatest impact on the return earned on capital invested, with the greatest stress felt in Australia. This paper considers the underlying causes of domestic price rises experienced in Australia following the start-up of LNG export supplied from gas fields linked to the domestic market and the response by both plant developers/operators and the government. This historical view is used to inform forecasts of how the east coast gas market will react to the interplay between domestic and LNG plant demand, declining Bass Strait production, maturing CSG operations, LNG imports and completion of the Northern Gas Pipeline. In particular the ability of gas supply and pipeline capacity to meet the strongly seasonal domestic demand in Victoria and to a lesser extent NSW will be examined, together with the linkage to counter-cyclical seasonal demand for LNG from the Queensland LNG export plants in the key north Asian markets.



2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. 207-218
Author(s):  
Katarína Sárvári

Current development of the European gas market uncovers several new opportunities and challenges for energy security that developed from big changes in production, transit and supply ways of natural gas to Europe. New European gas market model builds on the principles of diversification, the security of supply, interconnectivity and liberalization. Realization of the EU Third Energy Package related to a progressive shift from long-term oil-linked gas supply contracts and development of alternative gas supply sources and lines, as well as the rivalry between already established gas transit lines and the new supply lines present new challenges and require transition for the V4 countries. In this article I studied what are the new changes and challenges of the transition of V4 countries towards the EU’s energy security? To adjust to transition V4 countries should build the new infrastructure on the short-term pricing market and the ways how it will be funded. If V4 countries want to trade gas with the neighbours and transport most of the Russian gas to Europe, they need to invest into reforms of pipelines’ networks or to find other alternatives of diversification in the next decades. Returns on investment on a liberalized market with a multitude of competitors will be manageable but require serious reforms. The V4 countries will have to enter into the spot markets to efficiently trade gas. Available gas hubs in Europe are much smaller, less liquid, and mostly supplied by the same companies as the long-term traded gas hubs. This kind of markets is easy to manipulate. Therefore, it is important for the V4 countries to plan how to coordinate their national energy policies and name EU’s energy targets for the future.



2019 ◽  
Vol 59 (2) ◽  
pp. 654
Author(s):  
Christopher Meredith

Eastern Australia is now reliant on coal-seam gas (CSG) for its domestic gas supply; in 2018, it accounted for two-thirds of total eastern coast gas production. Australia has seen a rapid transition from relying on ‘conventional’ resources to relying on ‘unconventional’ gas supply. As legacy conventional supply sources mature and decline, exploration has been insufficient to keep up with market demand. This has created the opportunity for Australia’s vast CSG resources to fill the gap. But the development of CSG has been neither easy nor straightforward. And the costly requirement to drill hundreds, if not thousands, of wells in every single development has driven up the cost of supply. Most CSG reserves will be produced for the Pacific Basin LNG market via the three LNG projects on the east coast of Queensland. However, it is the resources beyond these LNG projects that will need to be developed, so as to ensure future supply to the east coast gas market. It is these other resources, both CSG and shale, that we evaluated to gain a picture of future gas supplies and costs. Our indicative economics showed that alternative CSG resources and Beetaloo shale both have high well-head break-even costs. In addition, the infrastructure required to get them to market will be expensive. The high costs, coupled with the demand from the LNG plants of Gladstone leads us to conclude that eastern-coast gas prices are likely to remain closely linked to global LNG prices for the foreseeable future.



2011 ◽  
Vol 51 (2) ◽  
pp. 678
Author(s):  
David Thomas ◽  
Chris Douglas

The east Australian gas market (including SA) has, throughout its history, been isolated with limited connectivity from the gas fields that supply its major centres. With the arrival of CSG, imminent LNG exports and recent increased connectivity between gas fields and customers, the east Australian gas market has undergone substantial change. Against this background, it is timely to reconsider the approach to price review mechanisms contained in long-term gas supply agreements—particularly what market will be considered in any review process and what evidence will be available to the parties to a price review (in a cost-effective way) to allow consideration of movements in that market for the purposes of re-setting the price to be paid by a customer. In this extended abstract, the author discuss the effects of CSG developments and increased connectivity on the eastern gas market along with the effect LNG can have, particularly by reference to its impact on the WA gas market. A critical analysis of various price review mechanisms is undertaken with a view to identifying appropriate price review processes and criteria for the future along with reviewing the fundamentals of a price review process—specifically, the need for any price review and associated arbitration to give rise to a justiciable dispute such that the process attracts the operation of the relevant Commercial Arbitration Act and overriding Court supervision for the purposes of any necessary subpoenas or reviews of decisions.



1997 ◽  
Vol 37 (1) ◽  
pp. 755
Author(s):  
C.P. Demarte

This paper addresses opportunities for producers in the Victorian gas market arising from the ongoing reform of the Australian gas industry. Much of the impetus of the change has occurred in Victoria but to date there has been little evidence of the benefit of market reform to producers. This is expected to change.Until recently, Esso/BHPP had a secure hold on gas production into the Victorian market. The renegotiation of their gas supply agreement with Gas and Fuel has created opportunities for limited production from new producers in the short term and significant market options in the long term.Gas marketing companies are preparing to change the way they do business. Rigid long-term gas supply contracts will be balanced with alternative arrangements with producers such as financing of field development, equity investment in projects, alliances, commodity exchanges and the use of underground gas storage and LNG.The formation of a spot market for gas will allow a transparent market place to evolve where forward physical and paper transactions can take place. Trading of gas futures and options will provide a mechanism for producers to take up any risk position that meets their corporate strategy.In the light of market growth forecasts, flexible supply arrangements and market restructure, the potential for supply of natural gas by producers into the Victorian market is considerable.



Significance Sonatrach is preparing to renegotiate most of its long-term contracts to supply natural gas by pipeline and as liquefied natural gas (LNG), as their expiry dates approach in 2019 and 2020. Ould Kaddour, who was appointed Sonatrach’s chief executive one year ago after a period of turbulence within Sonatrach, has made clear that he appreciates the need for a flexible approach in an intensely competitive market. Impacts Algeria’s hydrocarbons production is declining, but global demand for LNG in particular is rising fast. Securing new natural gas supply contracts will be vital for Algeria’s revenue prospects. Ould Kaddour’s efforts to foster better relations with international companies could be rewarded by increased investment.



2010 ◽  
Vol 34 (1) ◽  
pp. 61-69 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stefan Lochner ◽  
Jan Richter
Keyword(s):  


2019 ◽  
Vol 59 (2) ◽  
pp. 520
Author(s):  
Graeme Bethune ◽  
Rick Wilkinson

The energy market is becoming more globalised and renewables are changing the supply and demand balance. Gas has been suggested as the bridging fuel to the new energy world – but is it a bridge too far? This presentation examines the global gas context and its impact on the Australian east coast gas markets, trends in energy supply options and sign posts for new directions. When the first liquefied natural gas (LNG) train started on Curtis Island, the gas producers had access to more than just the domestic market. The new overseas markets are also interconnected, so the Henry Hub, Brent oil and Chinese gas demand all have an influence on Australia’s east coast gas market. Potential LNG import terminals and net back pricing are changing the domestic gas market. The energy market is moving to renewables. This is not just an anomaly that will correct itself, but is based on lower renewable costs and distribution challenges. Moving relatively small amounts of energy long distances is a major challenge for Australia. Infrastructure, market hubs and sourcing strategies need to compensate for these challenges, and investment is needed to keep pace with the changes. Capital is a global commodity seeking the optimum return for the risk, but unconventionals, such as coal seam gas, are capital hungry. Government policies and support can be the key determinant for not only new investment but sustaining investment to meet existing gas supply contracts. Smart gas buyers will need to be agile and use deeper portfolio approaches for gas supply.



Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document