The Mideast's gas paradox
It is home to the world's biggest exporter—and also some of its fastest-growing consumers. Yet intra-regional trade remains thin
The Middle East's transformation from swaggering liquefied natural gas-export hub to insurgent global demand hub continues apace. With domestic demand for gas pushing ever higher, the region's tight band of long-term importing countries—the UAE, Kuwait and Israel—has been expanded in the past couple of years with new entrants Jordan and Egypt. The latter two were among the fastest-growing LNG importing countries last year, amid a rapid deployment of floating storage and regasification units (FSRUs) starting in 2015. FSRUs have enabled the Middle East's new LNG importers to capitalise on fluctuating price trends. The region's apparently insatiable appetite for spot LNG cargoes has played a la
Also in this section
24 July 2025
Despite significant crude projections over the next five years, Latin America’s largest economy could be forced to start importing unless action is taken
23 July 2025
The country’s energy minister explains in an exclusive interview how the country is taking a pragmatic and far-sighted approach to energy security and why he has great confidence in its oil sector
23 July 2025
Gas is unlikely to assume a major role in Albania’s energy mix for years to come, but two priority projects are making headway and helping to establish the sector
22 July 2025
The gas-hungry sector is set for rapid growth, and oil majors and some of the world’s largest LNG firms are investing in ammonia production and export facilities, though much depends on regulatory support
