Gas Exports from the US. Status, Potential and Consequences

Seminar paper from the year 2014 in the subject Economics - International Economic Relations, grade: 1,0, Karlshochschule International University, language: English, abstract: The discussion whether the US is about to export more natural gas and if yes, to what extent, is more topical than ever. Due to the shale gas boom at the end of the last decade, the US has more access to natural gas resources than ever before. Furthermore, the current dispute between the Ukraine and Russia are revealing once again Europe's dependence on Russian gas and show the need for further diversification of Europe's natural gas supply. This paper evaluates the status, potential and consequences of US gas exports in the form of LNG from a general perspective. The author analyses the potential of LNG and the status quo of US LNG facilities and relevant key players. Additionally, he takes a closer look on US export bans as well as current prices and how growing US gas exports would affect the domestic and international gas markets. He finds that further permits to export natural gas are likely to be authorised, but due to higher prices and increasing demand, these exports will mainly go to the Asia-Pacific region. Nevertheless, the growing LNG market in the US will make the future gas markets more flexible and competitive.