Global liquefied natural gas figures

According to the International Gas Union, global LNG trade set a new record in 2016, reaching 258 million tonnes (MT). This marks an increase of 13.1 MT (+5%) from 2015.

There were 18 LNG exporters, including Qatar (77.2 million tonnes per annum (MTPA)), Australia (44.3) and Malaysia (25). Australia (+15 MTPA) and the US (+2.5) had the highest export increases in 2016. Following a number of project proposals in these regions, Canada and Sub-Saharan Africa could become exporters in the coming years.

There were 35 LNG importers, primarily Japan (83.3 MTPA), South Korea (33.7) and China (26.8). In Asia Pacific, LNG imports are driven by geographic isolation and gas resource scarcity. In other markets such as Europe, LNG continues to be used as a means to increase gas supply security.

Global liquefaction capacity reached 339.7 MTPA (+ 11.5%). It is expected to grow by 35% by 2022. Floating storage and regasification units reached 83 MTPA in January 2017 (+12.3%).

The global LNG shipping fleet consisted of 439 vessels. There were 31 newbuilds in 2016 with an average capacity of 168,000 cubic meters.

Natural gas accounts for roughly a quarter of global energy demand, of which 9.8% is supplied as LNG.

See also the IGU 2017 World LNG Report: http://bit.ly/LNG-NL71