China is likely to see natural gas shortages every winter until the end of the decade as domestic production fails to keep up with demand, a factor likely to drive global liquefied natural gas prices higher, energy consultancy Wood Mackenzie said in a report released on Friday. Increased gas demand from China for heating has already helped lift spot liquefied natural gas (LNG) prices by over 20 percent since mid-September and will aggravate an already tight market for spot LNG cargoes. “Winter gas shortages will be exacerbated through to 2020 as seasonal demand growth in northern China increases at an annualised rate of approximately 16 percent per annum,” Gavin Thompson, Wood Mackenzie’s head analyst for Asia Pacific gas and power, said in the report. “(China’s increased LNG demand) will increase competition among Asian spot LNG buyers during peak demand periods and allow […]