LNG to test market and infrastructure limits
The global LNG market will face significant change as a supply glut, infrastructure constraints and a rapidly restructuring market test market participants
The LNG market has already had a taste of the challenges to come as the past year saw an unprecedented surge in supply that swamped European and Asian markets, overwhelmed global storage capacity and tested the ability of market participants to manage a growing array of risks. Although it was expected, a surge of US LNG supply has struggled to find markets as slowing demand growth in China, a warm 2018-19 winter that left global storage higher than normal and a well-supplied European gas market have made it difficult for sellers to place cargoes. While Europe has taken large volumes of cheap LNG, Russian and Norwegian pipeline gas supply—combined with full European natural gas storage—has le
Also in this section
2 April 2026
Alongside a rapid continued build-out of renewables, China’s latest five-year plan stresses the value of domestic hydrocarbon production for energy security and calls for increased Russian gas imports
2 April 2026
The government is taking important steps to revive domestic production, lift investment and benefit from the geopolitical crisis even if more needs to be done in the longer term
1 April 2026
Golden Pass’s startup offers QatarEnergy a timely boost but may also force a difficult choice between honouring disrupted contracts and capitalising on soaring spot LNG prices
1 April 2026
It is not a case of if or when, but the length and magnitude of economic damage from elevated oil prices
