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According to the US Energy Information Administration (EIA), US LNG exports have been rising steadily since 2017, to 4.7 bcf/d (133 mcm/d) in May 2019. The recent LNG exports level makes the United States the third-largest LNG exporter in the first five months of the year with an average of 4.2 bcf/d (119 mcm/d), over the January-May 2019 period. The United States expects to remain the third-largest LNG exporter in the world in 2019-2020, behind Australia and Qatar.

US LNG exports to Europe have surged, from around 0.4 bcf/d (11 mcm/d) in 2018 to more than 1.6 bcf/d (45 mcm/d) in the first five months of 2019, accounting for nearly 40% of total US LNG exports and exceeding exports to Asia. Exports to Europe should continue to increase as European countries are raising their gas consumption as part of their decarbonisation policies. Average LNG exports to Asia have been slightly declining in the first five months of 2019, to around 1.5 bcf/d (42 mcm/d), due to a warm winter in Asia reducing LNG demand. In addition, declining price differentials between European and Asian spot gas prices have incited the United States to increase LNG exports to Europe.

By 2021, six US liquefaction projects are expected to be fully operational and another two LNG projects, which entered the construction phase in 2019, are scheduled to be commissioned by 2023. The US EIA forecasts that the United States will have the largest LNG export capacity worldwide by 2025, surpassing both Qatar and Australia.

Singapore’s sovereign wealth fund (GIC) has decided to acquire a 6% stake in ADNOC Oil Pipelines, for US$600m. ADNOC Oil Pipelines is an entity recently formed by Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) (United Arab Emirates) to transport crude oil and condensate from ADNOC’s onshore and offshore fields to its export and refining facilities.

Indian state-owned power utility Gujarat Urja Vikas Nigam Limited (GUVNL) has asked the winners of its May 2019 wind power auction in Gujarat to cut tariffs. The tariffs must match those from the lowest bidder Enerfra, for a 50 MW project, at INR2.80/kWh (US$3.9c/kWh) in order for projects to receive power purchase agreements.

NordStream 2 has brought an action for annulment before the General Court of the European Union. NordStream 2 considers that the Directive (EU) 2019/692 amending the EU Gas Directive infringed the EU law principles of equal treatment and proportionality, discouraging the pipeline project.

According to the government of Argentina, domestic gas production reached a record high in June 2019 at 140 mcm/d, 5.8% more than in June 2018. Domestic crude oil production also grew for the 16th consecutive month to 497,000 bbl/d in June 2019 (+2.5% in June 2018).  ….

Northland Deutsche Bucht has commissioned the first wind turbine of its 269 MW Deutsche Bucht offshore wind project located northwest of the North Sea island of Borkum in Germany’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). The project is led by Northland Deutsche Bucht, which is fully owned by Northland Power.

Australian company Aura Energy has completed a feasibility study for the Tiris uranium mine project in Mauritania. The company will now procure financing and carry further optimisation work.

The 588 MW Beatrice offshore wind project has been officially commissioned off the coast of Caithness (United Kingdom), in the North Sea. The £2.5bn (€2.8bn) project was approved by the Scottish government in March 2014 and granted an investment contract by the UK government in May 2014. It includes 84 wind turbines, the last of which was commissioned in May 2019….