U.S. Liquefied Natural Gas: Opportunity Becoming Reality
U.S. Liquefied Natural Gas: Opportunity Becoming Reality
U.S. Liquefied Natural Gas: Opportunity Becoming Reality
$
42% Increase 62% Decrease 85% Decrease 200% Increase
As a result of the newly developed domestic supplies of natural gas in the U.S., annual
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LNG imports declined 85% in just 10 years. Companies began modifying existing LNG
import facilities to be capable of liquefying and exporting gas, and began constructing
completely new export facilities. In 2016, Cheniere Energy began commercial exports of
LNG to foreign countries from its Sabine Pass LNG terminal, and in August 2017, the
U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) projected that the U.S. will become a net
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exporter of natural gas in 2017.
“The EIA projects
The U.S. is very well-situated to benefit from the global boom in demand for LNG due to that the U.S. will
our large domestic natural gas reserves, dependable and established infrastructure, become a net
and central location between Europe and Asia. Increased LNG exports present three exporter of
key benefits, both at home and abroad: 1) as a domestic economic stimulus; 2) as a
natural gas in
new geopolitical diplomatic tool; and, 3) as part of an emissions-reduction strategy for
countries switching to natural gas for power generation.
2017.”
LNG is transported in tanker ships with insulated hull walls up to six feet thick that keep
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the gas in a cold, liquid state. Once the LNG tanker reaches its destination, pumps on
the ship transfer the liquefied gas off the vessel and into storage tanks, and then the
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liquid is pumped from the tanks to warming systems (vaporizers) where the liquid is
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heated and returned to a gaseous state. September 2017
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FIGURE 2- The LNG Liquefaction Process
The process of converting gas to liquid drastically reduces the amount of space needed
to store the same amount of energy. When natural gas is cooled into a liquid, its original “A standard
volume is reduced by more than 600 times. This is roughly equivalent to the amount of shipload of LNG
natural gas filling a beach ball being condensed into the amount of liquid in a ping pong can provide
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ball. Due to the volume reduction, a standard shipload of LNG can provide approximately 3
approximately 3 billion cubic feet of natural gas– enough to heat more than 43,000 billion cubic feet of
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typical homes for an entire year. natural gas–
enough to heat
LNG facilities have strong safety records and are highly regulated by multiple more than 43,000
government agencies, including the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, the
typical homes for
Department of Transportation’s Office of Pipeline Safety and the Department of Energy
(DOE). Maritime and offshore operations of LNG facilities also require oversight by the an entire year.”
Coast Guard. As the DOE noted in 2013, “For more than 40 years, the safety record of
the global LNG industry has been excellent, due to attention to detail in engineering,
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construction and operations.” This attention to detail and strict regulatory oversight
means that constructing a new LNG facility is a multi-year process. As many as 100
permits and approvals from federal, state and local government agencies may be
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required.
On the import side, LNG is FIGURE 3: Top LNG Exporting and Importing
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a growing and vital Countries
resource to many other
countries that have
insufficient energy
resources to meet their
demands. Many of the
countries that import the
largest amount of LNG are
in Asia, with the Asia-
Pacific market accounting
for 54 percent of all global
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LNG imports in 2016.
The largest LNG-importing
country in the world is
Japan, an island nation
with small amounts of www.kindermorgan.com
domestic natural gas
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reserves and a population of 127 million people who rely on natural gas for cooking and
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heating as well as for generating 40 percent of the country’s electricity.
While resource-rich countries are building LNG export facilities, even more resource-
poor nations are building LNG import facilities. In 2016, new import facilities opened in
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China, Japan, France, India, Turkey and South Korea. Additionally, Colombia and
Jamaica opened their first LNG terminals in 2016 and began importing LNG for the first
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time. The global fleet of LNG ships has more than doubled over the past decade–
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from 194 vessels in 2005 to 439 by the end of 2016.
Despite the large increase in projected LNG exports in the coming years, these facilities
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will still only export 10-12 percent of total domestic natural gas production. While the
U.S. is able to produce more natural gas than it consumes, Australia is exporting
natural gas at a faster rate than it is increasing production. In 2016, Australia liquefied
and exported approximately 62 percent of the natural gas it produced, causing price
34,35
spikes for consumers. As a result, the Australian government established a
mechanism that gives it the power to restrict exports if there is a risk of domestic
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shortages.
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a
NOTE: There is also an older LNG export terminal in Kenai, Alaska. However, it did not export any September 2017
natural gas in 2016.
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In addition to the Elba Island LNG Terminal and the Gulf LNG facility, Kinder Morgan
will also benefit from increased demand for pipeline capacity to supply newly
constructed LNG export facilities across the country. Kinder Morgan owns an interest in
or operates approximately 70,000 miles of natural gas pipelines–the largest natural gas
pipeline network in the U.S., delivering about 40 percent of all natural gas consumed
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daily in the country. These pipelines are connected to every major natural gas shale
play in the country, including the Eagle Ford, Marcellus, Bakken, Utica, Uinta Permian,
Haynesville, Fayetteville and Barnett. Kinder Morgan’s large footprint of assets is very
well-situated to transport additional natural gas from those regions to proposed export
facilities, particularly along the Gulf Coast where many proposed facilities will be
located.
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International
Diplomatic Benefits
Many foreign countries
have expressed an
interest in being able to
import U.S. LNG,
particularly European
countries that are
overwhelmingly
dependent on Russia for
their natural gas supplies.
The Russian state-owned
natural gas company
Gazprom is Europe’s
leading supplier of natural gas, and 13 European nations rely on Russia for more than
75 percent of their annual natural gas imports; a position that makes these countries
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vulnerable to Russian market manipulation and political influence. Russia has taken
advantage of its monopoly by reducing natural gas supplies and manipulating prices on
multiple occasions, even cutting off natural gas supplies to Ukraine for two weeks in
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2009 during a political conflict between the two countries.
Poland, a country which is reliant on Russia for 60 percent of its natural gas, received
its first shipment of U.S. LNG in June 2017 at the Port of Swinoujscie. Polish Prime
Minister Beata Szydlo praised the delivery stating, "Today, Poland can say that it is a
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safe and sovereign country… days like this go down in history." Similarly, the
neighboring country of Lithuania announced in June 2017 that it had signed deals to
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buy LNG from the U.S. When Lithuania dedicated its first floating LNG regasification
terminal in the Port of Klaipeda in 2014, Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaite
reiterated the importance of LNG imports stating, “From now on, nobody will dictate us
the price for gas - or buy our political will…. once again we have proved to ourselves
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and to the world that our nation can protect its independence.” That facility now
provides roughly half of Lithuania’s natural gas supply.
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American LNG imports do not just represent a democratic and market-based alternative
to other current natural gas supplying countries, they also offer foreign countries the September 2017
chance to diversify their natural gas sourcing and challenge existing monopolies. When
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Lithuania opened its first LNG terminal, Gazprom cut prices for Lithuania by 20 percent
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in an attempt to dissuade competition from LNG imports.
China alone increased its LNG imports last year by 35 percent and was one of the five
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largest buyers of U.S. LNG in 2016. China already has 15 LNG import terminals
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operating and is expected to double that number by the early 2020s. Additionally, in
May 2017, the U.S. Commerce Department reached an agreement with China that
provides Chinese companies the ability to negotiate and pursue long-term contracts
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with U.S. LNG exporters, further encouraging growth in the industry. Since CO2
emissions have a global impact, supplying LNG to China as an alternative to coal is not
just benefiting the Chinese environment, but the world as a whole.
Many other countries are pursuing a similar strategy of utilizing LNG as they expand
and modernize their power sectors. The IEA reports that 1.2 billion people globally still
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do not have access to electricity. Absent breakthroughs in energy storage technology,
expanding power generation to these people will require affordable and reliable
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baseload coal- or gas-fired power plants. Currently, many developing countries have a
high percentage of coal-powered plants. Natural gas-fired power plants supplied by
LNG will provide a much cleaner-emitting alternative. In its 2017 International Energy
Outlook, the EIA projects that global natural gas consumption will increase 43 percent
between 2015 and 2040, and that in order to meet some of this demand, global trade in
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LNG will nearly triple from 12 trillion cubic feet to 31 trillion cubic feet. This projected
boom in demand presents significant opportunities for American LNG abroad.
Conclusion www.kindermorgan.com
The idea of the U.S. exporting excess natural gas was nearly unthinkable just a decade
ago. The current LNG boom is a testament to the technological innovation and September 2017
determination of the country’s oil and gas industry. As the U.S. begins to take on a
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larger role in the global LNG market, the beneficiaries are numerous–from the foreign
countries eager to diversify their energy portfolios or trying to provide electricity to their “The broader
developing populations to the over 2.7 million Americans working in the oil and gas domestic and
industry, and the landowners with revenue-generating natural gas wells on their international
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property. U.S. LNG has benefits that reach well beyond the company building the benefits should be
export facility or the area where the facility is constructed. The broader domestic and taken into account
international benefits should be taken into account when evaluating new LNG exports when evaluating
and related infrastructure as the U.S. enjoys the fruits of an age of energy abundance.
new LNG exports
and related
WORKS CITED infrastructure.”
1
“Asia Vision docks at Petrobras’ LNG terminal to discharge first Sabine Pass export cargo,”
LNG World News, March 15, 2016. http://www.lngworldnews.com/asia-vision-docks-at-
petrobras-lng-terminal-to-discharge-first-sabine-pass-export-cargo/
2
“U.S. Dry Natural Gas Production,” U.S. EIA, July 31, 2017.
https://www.eia.gov/dnav/ng/hist/n9070us2A.htm
3
“U.S. Dry Natural Gas Production,” U.S. EIA, July 31, 2017.
4
“Natural gas prices in 2016 were the lowest in nearly 20 years,” U.S. EIA, Jan. 13, 2017.
5
“LNG Reports,” U.S. Dept. of Energy, https://energy.gov/fe/listings/lng-reports
6
Ibid.
7
“United States expected to become a net exporter of natural gas this year,” U.S. EIA, Aug. 9,
2017. https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=32412
8
“Liquefied Natural Gas: Understanding the Basic Facts,” U.S. Dept. of Energy, April 2013.
https://energy.gov/sites/prod/files/2013/04/f0/LNG_primerupd.pdf
9
Ibid.
10
Ibid.
11
Ibid.
12
Ibid.
13
“Obtaining and Processing Liquefied Natural Gas for Transport,” U.S. Government
Accountability Office. Dec. 3, 2015. https://www.gao.gov/assets/680/673976.pdf
14
“Liquefied Natural Gas: Understanding the Basic Facts,” U.S. Dept. of Energy, April 2013.
15
Ibid.
16
Ibid.
17
Ibid.
18
“2017 World LNG Report,” International Gas Union, April 5, 2017.
19
“2017 World LNG Report.” International Gas Union, April 5, 2017.
http://www.igu.org/sites/default/files/103419-World_IGU_Report_no%20crops.pdf
20
Ibid.
21
“Why Japan’s Liquefied Natural Gas Demand Will Increase,” Forbes, Sept. 2016.
22
Ibid.
23
Ibid.
24
“LNG at the crossroads,” Deloitte Center for Energy Solutions, 2015.
25
“2017 World LNG Report,” International Gas Union, April 5, 2017.
26
“North American LNG Import/Export Terminals- Existing,” FERC, May 1, 2017.
https://www.ferc.gov/industries/gas/indus-act/lng/lng-existing.pdf
27
Ibid.
28
“Natural Gas Explained- What is LNG?” U.S. EIA, April 25, 2017.
https://www.eia.gov/energyexplained/index.cfm?page=natural_gas_lng
29
“North American LNG Export Terminals, Proposed.” FERC, May 1, 2017.
https://www.ferc.gov/industries/gas/indus-act/lng/lng-proposed-export.pdf
30
“United States expected to become a net exporter of natural gas this year,” U.S. EIA, Aug. 9,
2017. https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=32412
31
“IEA sees global gas demand rising to 2022 as US drives market transformation,” IEA, July 13,
2017. https://www.iea.org/newsroom/news/2017/july/iea-sees-global-gas-demand-rising-
to-2022-as-us-drives-market-transformation.html www.kindermorgan.com
32
“United States expected to become a net exporter of natural gas this year,” U.S. EIA, Aug. 9,
2017. https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=32412 September 2017
33
“Annual Energy Outlook 2017.” U.S. EIA, Jan. 2017. https://www.eia.gov/outlooks/aeo/
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34
“BP Statistical Review of World Energy- June 2017,” BP,
https://www.bp.com/content/dam/bp/en/corporate/pdf/energy-economics/statistical-
review-2017/bp-statistical-review-of-world-energy-2017-full-report.pdf
35
“Gas 2017- Executive Summary,” International Energy Agency, 2017.
https://www.iea.org/Textbase/npsum/gas2017MRSsum.pdf
36
“Malcolm Turnbull announced gas export limits, may support coal-fired power,” The Australian.
June 20, 2017. http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/mining-energy/malcolm-
turnbull-announces-gas-export-limits-may-support-coalfired-power/news-
story/89a22dd4166ceb94bb336de063812f47
37
“Elba Liquefaction Project,” Kinder Morgan.
https://www.kindermorgan.com/pages/business/gas_pipelines/projects/elbaLNG/elba_liq
uefaction_project.aspx
38
Ibid.
39
“”Gulf LNG Project,” Kinder Morgan.
https://www.kindermorgan.com/business/gas_pipelines/projects/gulfLNG/
40
Ibid.
41
“Natural Gas Pipelines,” Kinder Morgan.
https://www.kindermorgan.com/pages/business/gas_pipelines/
42
“North American LNG Import/Export Terminals- Approved,” FERC, May 1, 2017.
https://www.ferc.gov/industries/gas/indus-act/lng/lng-approved.pdf
43
“U.S. LNG Exports: Impacts on Energy Markets and the Economy,” ICF International, May
15, 2013. http://www.api.org/~/media/Files/Policy/LNG-Exports/API-LNG-Export-Report-
by-ICF.pdf
44
“LNG Export Facilities in Texas,” Texans for Natural Gas, April 27, 2017.
http://www.texansfornaturalgas.com/liquefied_natural_gas
45
“First U.S. Natural Gas Shipped to Poland,” Foreign Policy, June 8, 2017.
http://foreignpolicy.com/2017/06/08/first-u-s-natural-gas-shipped-to-poland/
46
“With American natural gas, Russia is losing European energy chokehold,” The Hill, July 3,
2017.
47
“First Tanker with U.S. Natural Gas Reaches Poland,” Radio Free Liberty- Radio Europe, June
8, 2017. https://www.rferl.org/a/united-states-natural-gas-poland/28536450.html
48
“Lithuania signs first deal for U.S. LNG,” Reuters, June 26, 2017.
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-global-oil-idUSKBN1AO029
49
“Speech by President Dalia Grybauskaite at the Klaipeda LNG terminal opening ceremony,”
President of the Republic of Lithuania, Oct. 27, 2014.
https://www.lrp.lt/en/activities/speeches/speech-by-president-dalia-grybauskaite-at-the-
klaipeda-lng-terminal-opening-ceremony/20697
50
“First LNG Delivery to Poland,” U.S. Department of State, June 8 2017.
https://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2017/06/271637.htm
51
U.S. EPA, http://epa.gov/cleanenergy/energy-and-you/affect/air- emissions.html
52
“What is U.S. electricity generation by energy source?” U.S. EIA, April 18, 2017.
https://www.eia.gov/tools/faqs/faq.php?id=427&t=3
53
“Table 3.1.A. Net Generation by Energy Source: Total (All Sectors), 2005-2015,” U.S. EIA.
https://www.eia.gov/electricity/annual/html/epa_03_01_a.html
54
“What is U.S. electricity generation by energy source?” U.S. EIA, April 18, 2017.
https://www.eia.gov/tools/faqs/faq.php?id=427&t=3
55
“Table 3.1.A. Net Generation by Energy Source: Total (All Sectors), 2005-2015,” U.S. EIA.
https://www.eia.gov/electricity/annual/html/epa_03_01_a.html
56
“Table 12.6- “Carbon Dioxide Emissions From Energy Consumption: Electric Power Sector,”
U.S. EIA, https://www.eia.gov/totalenergy/data/monthly/pdf/mer.pdf
57
“Global Greenhouse Gas Emissions Data,” EPA. https://www.epa.gov/ghgemissions/global-
greenhouse-gas-emissions-data
58
“2017 World LNG Report.” International Gas Union. April 5, 2017.
59
“U.S. Liquefied Natural Gas to China is a Game-Changer,” Forbes. May 25, 2017.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/judeclemente/2017/05/25/u-s-liquefied-natural-gas-to- www.kindermorgan.com
china-is-a-game-changer/#a096c74671a0
60
“The Rapidly Expanding Global Liquefied Natural Gas Market,” Forbes, July 9, 2017. September 2017
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https://www.forbes.com/sites/judeclemente/2017/05/25/u-s-liquefied-natural-gas-to-
china-is-a-game-changer/#5f8532fc671a
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“Trump just gave China a sledgehammer to smash the LNG monopoly,” CNBC. May 19, 2017.
62
“Energy Poverty,” International Energy Agency. https://www.iea.org/topics/energypoverty/
63
“Levelized Cost and Levelized Avoided Cost of New Generation Resources in the Annual
Energy Outlook 2017,” Table 1-B. U.S. EIA, July 25, 2017.
https://www.eia.gov/electricity/monthly/epm_table_grapher.php?t=epmt_6_07_b
64
“International Energy Outlook 2017,” U.S. EIA, Sept. 14, 2017,
https://www.eia.gov/outlooks/ieo/pdf/0484(2017).pdf
65
“Impacts of the Natural Gas and Oil Industry,” API, July 2017.
http://www.api.org/~/media/Files/Policy/Jobs/Oil-and-Gas-2015-Economic-Impacts-
Final-Cover-07-17-2017.pdf
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September 2017