With 6.7% of proved world reserves, the U.S. are a major player in the global natural gas market, in the league of Turkmenistan (7.2%) and surpassed only by Russia (19.9%), Iran (17.1%) and Qatar (13.1%) - 2020 data of World Population Review
Of the major producers, the U.S. has increased output by 50% over 10 years (2011/2021), contributing nearly a quarter of global production (23.1%), well ahead of Russia (17.4%); Iran is a dominant player in the Middle East (6.4% of world production and 36% of regional production), Qatar increased production by close to 50% but still represents only 4.4% of global production (well below its proved reserves) and Russia has fluctuated without notable increase - bp Statistical Review of World Energy (ed. 2022)
Volume-wise (in billion cubic meters), in 2021, Russia and the Middle East still dominated the gas export markets with respectively a slight increase of Russian export (+1.3%) at 241 bcm and 143.1 bcm. The U.S. took second position as exporter in 2021 with 179 bcm (+29% year-on-year, driven by LNG outperformance of 55%).
With domestic consumption less than a third of production, Australia is a significant exporter(107.8 bcm) along with Algeria and Malaysia (with exports of approx. 40 bcm each)
Going forward, the countries with proven ability to grow their production will consolidate their stakes in the export markets, the US with a projected 50% increase in production through 2050, Qatar and possibly Australia - requiring coordinated LNG supply chains, terminals at the supplying- and at the receivig end as well as specialized tankers
A 3-to-5-year time frame to alleviate the bottlenecks, from production to overseas delivery, speaks volumes about the complexities
Provided the gas prices stay high in Europe, a fair assumption as more Russian deliveries are taken out, US gas producers, operating in the shale fields from Pennsylvania to the Southwest, will benefit
The construction of LNG terminals, for export and at port of entry in Europe, will be boosted and LNG shipping companies will benefit from sharp demand for their services
The energy majors, Exxon, Chevron and TotalEnergies, with significant stakes in LNG operations, are not included in this theme
...and Nakilat runs Qatar's LNG fleet of 69 carriers, the largest in the world, including 14 Q-Max, the biggest LNG ships on the seas, taller than the Eiffel tower...
