Asian spot LNG prices rise anew on supply woes

By Marwa Rashad

LONDON- Asian spot liquefied natural gas (LNG) recorded its second weekly gain since the end of August, amid concerns over supply disruptions due to geopolitical tensions and lower feedgas volumes at US terminals undergoing planned maintenances.

The average LNG price for December delivery into north-east Asia rose to $13.80 per million British thermal units (mmBtu), up form $13.50/mmBtu last week, industry sources estimated.

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“Prices are holding firm, with the market continuing to balance at high levels amid ongoing demand and geopolitical tensions,” said Alex Froley, senior LNG analyst at data intelligence firm ICIS.

US production has dipped over the week, with reductions at the Cameron and Sabine Pass terminals due to planned maintenance, he added.

Asian prices also tracked European gas prices at the Dutch TTF hub, which hit a 10-month high on concerns over supply disruption due to geopolitical tensions in the Middle East and in Ukraine.

“For now, JKM (the Asian benchmark), just keeps up pace with geopolitical developments in other regions as TTF seems to have a slight premium over JKM when corrected for shipping and insurance,” said Klaas Dozeman, market analyst at Brainchild Commodity Intelligence.

“The geopolitical increase of oil makes oil-indexed LNG a bit more expensive, thereby slightly intensifying the spot demand for LNG,” he said, adding that investors are increasingly likely accounting for a longer war in the Middle East. – Reuters

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