Australia tops LNG industry

In 2019, the energy analyst said Australia sent an estimated record 77.51 million t (Mt) of locally produced LNG overseas, above Qatar’s approximate 75 Mt and more than double the United States’ 34.4 Mt.

The move to the top spot came from three fully established LNG hubs in Western Australia, Queensland and the Northern Territory, which is home to both the Ichthys and Darwin LNG projects.

Compared to 2018, total Australian LNG shipments were increased by 11.4 per cent, primarily due to the growth in production from INPEX’s Ichthys project.

In Queensland, production was up by 8.2 per cent with Australia Pacific LNG (APLNG) and QCLNG operating at nearly full capacity, while WA’s production remained steady with its 2018 value.

EnergyQuest CEO Graeme Bethune said Australia’s operational capacity substantially exceeded its Middle Eastern rival during 2019.

“On an annualised basis, we have previously achieved the global title in some individual months but 2019 is the first time Australia has topped global LNG export performance on a sustained annual basis,” Mr Bethune said.

“Australia’s 10 LNG projects have a combined capacity of 87.8 Mt. However, with only 88 per cent of total nameplate capacity used over 2019, there remains opportunity going forward to lift the current production milestone even higher.”

The new data underpins WA as the world’s second largest LNG producer with Queensland ranking significantly at sixth, while the Northern Territory is now in position as the third force for Australia’s LNG.

For more information visit the EnergyQuest website.

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