The rise in US natural gas production, enabled by the shale boom, is influencing global markets and geopolitics. As domestic natural gas production grows, so too has US export capacity and the potential to drive shifts in the global market for liquefied natural gas (LNG).
In an issue brief on the current status and future of LNG, “US liquefied natural gas exports outlook,” Atlantic Council Senior Fellow and former leading CIA analyst Bud Coote concludes that US LNG exports contribute to security and prosperity. Potential growth in global gas demand provides opportunity for US exports to reach new markets, an opportunity that Coote concludes could be better capitalized on by simplifying and shortening the LNG export approval process.
This report follows Coote’s January 2016 report, Surging Liquefied Natural Gas Trade, and builds on his previous work on LNG trade, natural gas markets, and the energy security implications of a growing global LNG trade.