Latin America’s uncertain LNG future
Old-guard importers are fading, but new markets are opening. The region’s exporters are adapting to the US threat
Latin America doesn't suck in huge quantities of liquefied natural gas like northeast Asia, or feed the world's thirst on the same scale as Australia or Qatar; but it has played an increasingly important role in the global gas trade in recent years. The Southern Cone countries—Brazil, Argentina and Chile—have been the region's stalwart importers. The region put itself on the LNG trade map earlier this decade. Severe droughts in Brazil forced the country to burn far more gas than usual, much of which it brought in from LNG markets. At the same time, Argentina's demand was surging and its production sliding, which saw it turn to LNG markets to plug the gap. In 2014, the Southern Cone countries
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
