US could overtake Qatar gas exports by 2020

09 December 2014

US liquefied natural gas shipments to reach 9 billion cubic feet a day by end of decade

The unconventional gas boom in the US could push the country to replace Qatar as the world’s largest liquefied natural gas (LNG) exporter by 2020, according to the head of global commodities research at US bank, Citigroup.

The US is on track to reach an export capacity of about 9 billion cubic feet a day (cf/d) by 2020, Edward Morse told the Middle East Crude Summit in Dubai on 9 December.

“The shale revolution began in natural gas, and surging US shale gas production feeds into rising pipeline exports to Mexico and LNG exports,” said Morse.

“The US is likely to be the world’s largest LNG exporter by the end of the decade,” he added. As a result, the US’ closest rivals would be Qatar and Australia. 

Qatar, which is currently the largest exporter, is unlikely to significantly increase exports by the end of the decade due to a moratorium on expanding operations on the offshore North Field, where the vast majority of its gas is sourced.

A MEED Subscription...

Subscribe or upgrade your current MEED.com package to support your strategic planning with the MENA region’s best source of business information. Proceed to our online shop below to find out more about the features in each package.