US gas goes from glut to crunch

After years of bloated stocks and low prices US gas supply is about to get much tighter

FOLLOWING years of a glut the US is now heading towards a gas supply crunch because of a lack of new investment in shale projects. A combination of increasing consumption and depleting stocks will tighten supply and push gas prices higher as the US enters a cold, harsh winter, according to commodities brokerage firm finnCap. "Due to reduced investment in shale over the past two years, production is now forecast to decline, resulting in higher (gas) prices," finnCap said in a report at the beginning of August. "A mild winter and a hot summer has resulted in a rapidly depleting inventory, and should the US have a cold winter there is scope for a supply crunch." The country’s Clean Power Plan h