NGI’s Hub & Flow

Abaxx Exec Talks LNG Futures Contracts, Managing Risk Amid Growing Volatility

Abaxx Chief Commercial Officer Joe Raia joins NGI’s Senior LNG Editor Jamison Cocklin to discuss Abaxx’s ongoing efforts to launch a new commodity exchange that will list LNG, nickel and carbon futures initially.

 

Abaxx’s new regulated futures clearinghouse will be the first launched in over a decade. Its plans to list physically settled contracts for the three major LNG markets in Northwest Europe, North Asia and the Gulf Coast comes as the global gas market is searching for a better benchmark to manage increasing risk and volatility. Those contracts are coming closer to being a reality after the company completed its latest round of financing to secure nearly $20 million.

Who Will Be Mexico’s Next President? And What It Could Mean for Natural Gas

In the latest podcast, NGI's Mexico Editor Christopher Lenton interviews Tony Payan, Director, Center for the United States and Mexico at Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy. The focus of the podcast is on the upcoming presidential election in Mexico. The race is down to Claudia Sheinbaum of President Andrés Manuel López Obrador's Morena party and Xochitl Gálvez of the opposition coalition who is rising rapidly in polling. Who might win is the big question, but also what are their positions, and how might each differ from López Obrador? It promises to be a fascinating period between now and June's vote, and this podcast is essential listening as a guide on what to expect.

North American Natural Gas Price Outlook Heading into Winter

In the latest episode of NGI’s Hub & Flow, Senior Markets Editor Kevin Dobbs interviews Steve Blair, senior account executive at Marex North America LLC. Blair addresses possible production cuts, supplies in storage, weather demand, Australian LNG strikes, war in Russia and more – setting the stage for winter supply/demand and what may happen with prices through the heating season.

As Blair noted, many analysts think falling rig counts are starting to contribute to lower output estimates. At the same time, winter weather is around the corner and new LNG export facilities are poised to open soon on the Gulf Coast. If these demand drivers develop in concert with lower production, markets could rally. Blair and Dobbs explain why.

The Next Wave: An Update on North American LNG Projects

NGI LNG editors Jamison Cocklin and Jacob Dick give an update on dozens of LNG export projects that are advancing across North America. They review what’s under construction and what’s been proposed, and examine the prospects for projects that haven’t been sanctioned, as well as the challenges facing projects at all stages of development.

U.S. Natural Gas Activity Hasn’t Bottomed Yet, but Will Need to Soon

Perhaps no theme during 2Q23 North American natural gas earnings conference calls was discussed more than the need for L48 natural gas production to increase in order to service the next wave of U.S. natural gas export facilities. NGI's Patrick Rau discusses factors that may both support and impede that effort.

Poolside Market Chat: If Record Heat Hasn’t Moved the Natural Gas Price Needle, What Will?

Natural gas demand for power generation has soared to new heights this summer as record heat in June and July fueled air-conditioning consumption. LNG demand also is trending higher year/year as Freeport’s return has kept feed gas deliveries strong in spite of seasonal maintenance at other facilities. This begs the question: Why are natural gas prices in the dumps, and when can we expect the market to move closer into balance?

In this episode of the podcast, NGI Price & Markets Editor Leticia Gonzales is joined by Price Analysts Josiah Clinedinst and Josten Mavez to discuss everything from production trends to pipeline outages, as well as what may lie ahead for the natural gas market in the coming months.

How Busy Are U.S. E&Ps? Count Rigs -- and Frack Spreads

Volatility in the North American oil and gas market is nothing new, as global commodity prices fluctuate in response to constant supply and demand changes. The number of drilling rigs in operation – and where – is a major indicator of oil and gas supply, in that it speaks to well completion activity and future production. In this episode of the Hub & Flow podcast,  Natural Gas Intelligence managing editor Carolyn Davis speaks with Primary Vision Network CEO Matthew Johnson, whose company each week publishes the Frac Spread Count, and they dig into where the U.S. drilling rig market is today and where it is forecast to be in the months to come.

High Stakes: U.S. LNG Projects Face Uncertain Future as DOE Toughens Stance on Growing Exports

Rapidan Energy Group’s Alex Munton, director of global gas service, joins NGI’s Senior LNG Editor Jamison Cocklin, to discuss how U.S. regulators are stepping up efforts to more closely scrutinize LNG export authorizations as global gas trading booms. They analyze the U.S. Department of Energy’s recent decision to more firmly impose deadlines for starting exports and establish conditions for acceptable delays. The conversation also explores how the policy has limited the path forward for Lake Charles LNG and the major hurdles it could create for about a dozen other U.S. export projects trying to move ahead.

RNG, Clean Heat Policies Putting Natural Gas at Forefront of Energy Transition

NGI's Leticia Gonzales, Price & Markets Editor, talks to the RNG Coalition's Dana Adams, Manager of Legislative Policy, to discuss natural gas' essential role in the transition to a clean energy future. In this episode of Hub & Flow, Adams shares her insights into how renewable natural gas, carbon capture and sequestration, weatherization and clean heat policies are paving the way for the U.S.

Steve Blair on the State of Natural Gas Markets

NGI Senior Markets Editor Kevin Dobbs interviews Steve Blair, a senior account executive at Marex North America LLC. Blair tackles production, supplies, weather demand, LNG and more – essentially setting the stage for summer supply/demand and what may happen with prices through the peak cooling season.

Lower production in June has largely been attributed to planned maintenance. But some analysts think falling rig counts are starting to contribute to lower output estimates. At the same time, the South is cooking and other regions are warming fast. National Weather Service long-range forecasts point to at least average heat in July and August. There is also the potential for an uptick in liquefied natural gas demand in the coming months. If these demand drivers develop in concert with lower production, markets could rally. Blair explains why.