An LNG tanker docks in Tianjin, China
Weather and pricing key to Asia’s winter LNG demand
Nuclear availability in Japan and South Korea will also be an important factor in determining overall LNG requirements
Asia’s LNG demand outlook for the coming winter will depend in large part on he weather, nuclear availability and—for some of the newer markets—pricing, Kaushal Ramesh, head of gas and LNG analytics at consultancy Rystad explained as he spoke with Petroleum Economist for the Energy Oracles podcast series. The largest LNG markets in the world are concentrated in Northeast Asia. China and Japan are the two biggest, with South Korea and Taiwan also being significant importers. And while China has some domestic gas output, overall there is a lack of significant production in the region, making it “much more dependent on LNG imports, while LNG storage is fairly expensive”, said Ramesh. That means
Also in this section
16 January 2026
The country’s global energy importance and domestic political fate are interlocked, highlighting its outsized oil and gas powers, and the heightened fallout risk
16 January 2026
The global maritime oil transport sector enters 2026 facing a rare convergence of crude oversupply, record newbuild deliveries and the potential easing of several geopolitical disruptions that have shaped trade flows since 2022
15 January 2026
Rebuilding industry, energy dominance and lower energy costs are key goals that remain at odds in 2026
14 January 2026
Chavez’s socialist reforms boosted state control but pushed knowledge and capital out of the sector, opening the way for the US shale revolution
