The heat is on

Higher power demand due to hot weather helped push up European LNG demand in 2017. But the sector is far from buoyant

Liquefied natural gas imports to Europe rose in 2017, driven by demand from southern Europe, but the overall growth trend over the past decade has been weak, due to increased availability of pipeline gas and low gas-demand growth. Net LNG imports—after deducting reloaded cargoes—rose by 7.5m tonnes, or 19.5%, in 2017, largely due to an increase in power demand. But the gains were mostly in the south of the continent with a 9.1m-tonne increase in imports to terminals in France, Greece, Italy, Portugal, Spain and Turkey. The gas was for domestic use or pipeline export. This surge was prompted by low hydropower production, reduced nuclear output in France and hot summer weather around the Medit