Цены на природный газ в США растут на фоне жары и высокого спроса со стороны LNG
Ключевые выводы
- •Цены на природный газ в США выросли до $2.94/MMBtu, максимума почти за восемь недель.
- •Ожидается, что до середины сентября температуры в центральной части США в основном останутся выше нормы, что поддержит спрос на газовую генерацию.
- •Средние потоки газа на девять крупнейших LNG-терминалов выросли до 18.3 bcfd в начале сентября с 17.2 bcfd в августе.
- •Объекты Corpus Christi компании Cheniere Energy и Freeport LNG в Техасе возобновили полноценную работу после техобслуживания.
- •Добыча природного газа в Lower 48 в августе достигла рекордных 111.5 bcfd, сохраняя рынок хорошо обеспеченным.
US natural gas prices rose to $2.94/MMBtu, reaching their highest level in nearly eight weeks, as hot weather persisted and LNG export activity strengthened. The move comes with the market balancing short-term demand gains against abundant domestic supply, a dynamic that remains central to gas pricing.
Forecasts indicate that temperatures will remain mostly above normal across the central US through mid-September, likely keeping demand for gas-fired power generation elevated. In late-summer gas markets, weather often plays an outsized role because cooling demand can quickly shift daily consumption patterns.
At the same time, average gas flows to the nine major LNG export plants rose to 18.3 bcfd in early September, up from 17.2 bcfd in August, as Cheniere Energy’s Corpus Christi facility and Freeport LNG in Texas returned to full operations following maintenance. Higher LNG throughput matters because it directly increases feedgas demand and can tighten the balance between domestic supply and exports.
Meanwhile, Tropical Storm Edouard made landfall near the Texas-Louisiana border, although no significant operational disruptions were reported at LNG facilities in the region so far. Gulf Coast export terminals remain a key part of the US gas market because weather-related interruptions can affect flows quickly, even when broader supply conditions are stable.
On the supply side, production in the Lower 48 states averaged a record 111.5 bcfd in August, up from 110.7 bcfd in July, keeping the market well supplied and limiting the upside for prices. That level of output also helps explain why price gains have remained modest despite stronger demand signals.
Source: Trading Economics
