Current debates over LNG export often ignore its primary benefits, such as enabling gas to be produced for sale to markets beyond the realistic reach of pipelines. It also allows gas to compete with petroleum liquids where energy density is important, such as in powering ships, trains and land vehicles. The international reaction to Russia’s annexation of Ukraine’s Crimean peninsula has put a spotlight on liquefied natural gas (LNG), which was already under debate in the US as a mechanism for exporting increasingly abundant shale gas. Meanwhile, LNG is emerging as a fuel in its own right, rather than just a means of transporting gas from source to market. What links these trends is LNG’s capability to enable natural gas to approach the convenience and energy density of petroleum. The big driver for this is economic: UK Brent crude is currently over $100 per barrel , while natural gas in the […]