美国LNG出口有望六个月来首次增长

据天然气加工网站8月3日报道 分析师、能源交易商和Refinitiv的数据显示，8月份美国液化天然气出口有望6个月来首次实现增长，美国天然气价格上涨逾15%，达到三个月来新高。

今年迄今为止，全球液化天然气买家已取消了100多批美国货物，因为疫情导致需求锐减，欧洲和亚洲的液化天然气价格跌至历史新低。

即使在大流行蔓延之前，全球天然气价格已经处于多年来的最低水平，因为2019年有创纪录数量的液化天然气出口终端投入使用，给全球市场注入了大量燃料，与此同时，欧洲和亚洲的冬天比正常情况暖和，迫使公用事业公司保持创纪录的天然气储存量。

目前，美国和欧洲的库存预计将在夏季库存攀升季节结束时达到历史最高水平。

Refinitiv的数据显示，截至目前，8月份流向美国液化天然气工厂的管道天然气平均40亿立方英尺/天（利用率41%），使液化天然气出口有望实现自2月份创历史新高以来的首次月度增长。2019年利用率约为90%。

相比之下，7月份的21个月低点为33亿立方英尺/天，当时买家取消了一个月来最多的货物，2月份达到了87亿立方英尺/天的历史高点。

随着液化天然气出口再次上升，预计8月底之前美国大部分地区都将遭遇高温天气，空调需求居高不下，美国路易斯安那州亨利中心基准天然气价格周一飙升逾15%，达到5月初以来的最高水平。

王磊 摘译自 天然气加工

原文如下：

U.S. LNG exports set to rise for the first time in six months

U.S. LNG exports are on track to rise in August for the first month in six, rallying U.S. gas prices by over 15% to a three-month high, according to analysts, energy traders and data from Refinitiv.

So far this year, LNG buyers around the world have canceled more than 100 U.S. cargoes as prices for the fuel collapsed to record lows in Europe and Asia as demand collapsed due to the coronavirus.

Even before the pandemic spread, global gas prices were already trading at their lowest levels in years after a record number of LNG export terminals entered service in 2019, flooding the global market with fuel, at the same time winters in Europe and Asia were warmer than normal, forcing utilities to keep record amounts of gas in storage.

Stockpiles in the United States and Europe are now expected to reach all-time highs at the end of the summer injection season.

The amount of pipeline gas flowing to U.S. LNG plants averaged 4.0 billion cubic feet per day (bcfd) (41% utilization) so far in August, according to Refinitiv, putting LNG exports on track for their first monthly gain since hitting a record high in February. Utilization was about 90% in 2019.

That compares with a 21-month low of 3.3 bcfd in July when buyers canceled the most cargoes in a month and the all-time high of 8.7 bcfd in February.

With LNG exports rising again and forecasts for hot weather expected to blanket much of the United States until late August, keeping air conditioning demand high, U.S. gas prices at the Henry Hub benchmark in Louisiana soared over 15% on Monday to their highest since early May.