LNG
Overview
LNG's role as a key feedstock is well established as it helps manage both input costs and carbon emissions. Heavy industrial users' drive to achieve net zero targets has added a new dimension to how and where it is being deployed. Overall, its use is expected to increase and is tipped to become the strongest-growing fossil fuel.
At Argus, we expertly provide in-depth and reliable perspectives on the international LNG market. Our clients receive live access to critical data sets and analytics, comprehensive analysis and market-moving industry news. Our LNG service is the product of our market experts, who are based in all of the principal LNG trading hubs around the world.
Companies, trading firms and governments in 160 countries trust our data to support making more intelligent decisions, analysing situations, managing risk, facilitating trading and long-term planning.
Latest LNG news
Browse the latest market moving news on the global LNG industry.
Western Australia's LNG projects restart production
Western Australia's LNG projects restart production
Sydney, 31 March (Argus) — Western Australia's (WA) off line LNG projects are restarting some domestic gas production, while the Pilbara Ports Authority (PPA) is assessing damage from category 4 tropical cyclone Narelle, which passed through the region late last week. The ports of Dampier and Ashburton have been checked over, with structural damage to Dampier's general cargo import facilities, rendering the wharf inoperable, PPA said on 31 March. The bulk liquids terminal is operable, PPA said, meaning fuel imports for the region's major iron ore mines is unaffected. Ashburton port has also suffered damage to its general cargo wharf and this remains closed, with engineering teams looking over the facilities during the next few days. The port of Varanus Island — a central gathering and processing hub for oil, gas and condensate supplied by nearby fields, including those operated by Australian independent Santos — has reopened with no impacts to operations, PPA said. LNG projects recovering The region's affected LNG projects are slowly returning to production after Narelle took two major plants, the 14.3mn t/yr North West Shelf (NWS) and 8.9mn t/yr Wheatstone terminals, off line late last week . NWS' Karratha gas plant will be producing at 300 TJ/d and Wheatstone at 20 TJ/d on 1 April, indicating that some volumes are returning on line, according to the Australian Energy Market Operator's WA gas bulletin board, which measures domestic flows. Wheatstone may take weeks to return to full capacity, Chevron has said, while it returned one train at the 15.6mn t/yr Gorgon LNG terminal, which was taken off line during the cyclone to service on 29 March. The disruption to supply comes during an already tight supply balance in the Pacific basin, with Qatar's 64.2mn t/yr Ras Laffan terminal pausing production on 2 March due to the US-Iran war. Domestic gas flows fell from 1,202 TJ/d on 24 March to 558 TJ/d on 29 March due to Narelle's impacts, forcing alumina refineries run by US producer Alcoa to slash output temporarily . By Tom Major Argus LNG prices ($/mn Btu) Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2026. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
Saudi East-West pipeline maxed out on Hormuz closure
Saudi East-West pipeline maxed out on Hormuz closure
Doha, 29 March (Argus) — Saudi Arabia's now primary export outlet, the 7mn b/d East-West pipeline, has reached full capacity, sources with knowledge of the matter told Argus . The kingdom has, over recent days, moved around 7mn b/d of crude through the pipeline, the sources said. The pipeline, which links Saudi Arabia's eastern oil fields to the Red Sea port of Yanbu, was developed during the 1980s Iran-Iraq "Tanker War" as part of contingency planning to maintain exports in the event of a closure of the strait of Hormuz. The US-Israel war with Iran which began on 28 February has effectively halted flows through Hormuz, after Tehran began threatening and targeting tankers in and around the strait. This has forced Saudi Arabia and other regional producers to shut in significant volumes of oil and gas output. State-controlled Saudi Aramco began offering customers in Asia-Pacific the option of loading crude from Yanbu during the first week of the war, ramping up exports from the Red Sea port. A large number of tankers have since been redirected to Yanbu. Crude exports via Yanbu have reached around 5mn b/d, with an additional 900,000 b/d of refined products also shipped from the Red Sea, the sources said. The pipeline also supplies around 2mn b/d to domestic Red Sea facilities, including 1.5mn–1.6mn b/d to refineries near Yanbu and 400,000–500,000 b/d to the Jizan refinery, as well as power and desalination plants along the coast. Despite operating at full capacity, flows through the pipeline remain insufficient to compensate for the loss of Hormuz, which previously handled around 15mn b/d of crude flows. Saudi Arabia exported around 7.1mn b/d of crude in February and averaged 6.3mn b/d in 2025, with roughly 5.5mn b/d previously shipped via the Mideast Gulf. The kingdom's ability to rapidly deploy spare infrastructure and reroute exports reinforces its position as the world's primary supplier of last resort. Saudi Arabia has also cut production by around 2.5mn b/d , shutting in several offshore fields — including Safaniya, Marjan, Zuluf and Abu Safa — in response to Iranian missile and drone threats targeting Gulf energy infrastructure. Infrastructure linked to Red Sea exports has also come under attack. Saudi Arabia's defence ministry on 20 March said that an Iranian drone struck near the 400,000 b/d Samref refinery in Yanbu, prompting a temporary halt to exports from the terminal. Meanwhile, Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi militants launched missiles at Israel on 28 March, marking its first direct involvement since the conflict began. The move raises the risk of further escalation in the Red Sea and around the Bab el-Mandeb, a critical route for global oil flows. The Houthis warned they would enter the conflict if US or Israeli operations expanded, although they have not yet indicated plans to target shipping. But the group has previously attacked tankers during the Gaza war. Any disruption to flows through Bab el-Mandeb would leave Saudi crude exports via the Red Sea dependent on transit through Egypt. By Bachar Halabi Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2026. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
Iran turns back 3 ships trying to transit Hormuz: IRGC
Iran turns back 3 ships trying to transit Hormuz: IRGC
London, 27 March (Argus) — Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said today that its navy has turned back three container ships attempting to pass through the strait of Hormuz. The IRGC said the ships of "different nationalities" tried to move into a designated corridor for licensed traffic, but were warned off and forced to withdraw. It said the strait is "closed" and that any movement in the waterway will face "severe action". The IRGC also declared that the movement of any ship sailing to or from ports of countries allied with what it calls its "Zionist-American enemies" — to any destination and from any corridor — is prohibited. The statement follows Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araqchi's comments on state TV on 25 March , when he said the strait remains open except to Iran's "enemies". Araqchi said Iran has allowed passage for vessels from "friendly countries, including China, Russia, India, Iraq and Pakistan". By James Keates Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2026. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
Japan plans temporary ease of coal power restriction
Japan plans temporary ease of coal power restriction
Osaka, 27 March (Argus) — Japan is moving to temporarily lift restrictions on the operations of inefficient coal-fired power plants in the April 2026-March 2027 fiscal year to conserve LNG on rising uncertainty over imports from the Middle East and ensure stable electricity supplies. The trade and industry ministry Meti on 27 March unveiled an emergency plan to suspend in 2026-27 the capacity market rule that requires coal-fired plants with design efficiency below 42pc to keep their annual capacity factors at 50pc or lower. Plants that exceed the limit would face a 20pc reduction in capacity market revenues. Uncertainty remains over future LNG supply, especially from Qatar, in the event of a prolonged or worsening situation in the Middle East, although there is no immediate risk to short-term supply, Meti said. Power and gas utilities currently hold roughly 4mn t of LNG inventories, equivalent to one year of imports through the strait of Hormuz, and efforts to secure alternative procurement are ongoing. Assuming that inefficient coal-fired units operate at the average rate for coal-fired plants in 2026-27, the power sector could save around 500,000t of LNG, which is equivalent to a little over 10pc of the 4mn t/yr imported through the strait of Hormuz, according to Meti. Meanwhile, the emergency measure would increase Japan's demand for thermal coal, whose supply sources are not exposed to the conflict in the Middle East. Japan imported 8.7mn t of steam coal in February, sourcing 76pc from Australia, 10pc from Indonesia, 5pc each from the US and South Africa respectively, 3pc from Canada and 2pc from Russia, according to preliminary data released today by the finance ministry. Japan has pledged to phase out inefficient coal-fired plants by 2030, while promising not to build new unabated coal-fired plants. But coal remains a vital power source, accounting for 29pc of Japan's power mix in 2024-25, close to the 32pc share of gas. Japan's latest power capacity market auction, covering delivery year of 2029-30, secured around 166GW of generation capacity. The auction results did not specify the source of awarded capacity, but the breakdown of bidding volumes shows 38.15GW from coal fired units, including 5.27GW from inefficient coal fed plants. By Motoko Hasegawa Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2026. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
Spotlight content
Browse the latest thought leadership produced by our global team of experts.
Explore our LNG products
Real time access to our independent and trusted benchmarks, critical market data and analytics, in-depth analysis, and the latest market news. Argus LNG is relied upon by energy companies, governments, banks, regulators, exchanges and many other organizations as source of reliable and unique insights into the global markets.
Key price assessments
Argus prices are recognised by the market as trusted and reliable indicators of the real market value. Explore some of our most widely used and relevant price assessments.