Perhaps no theme during 2Q23 North American natural gas earnings conference calls was discussed more than the need for L48 natural gas production to increase in order to service the next wave of U.S. natural gas export facilities. NGI's Patrick Rau discusses factors that may both support and impede that effort.

Natural gas demand for power generation has soared to new heights this summer as record heat in June and July fueled air-conditioning consumption. LNG demand also is trending higher year/year as Freeport’s return has kept feed gas deliveries strong in spite of seasonal maintenance at other facilities. This begs the question: Why are natural gas prices in the dumps, and when can we expect the market to move closer into balance?

In this episode of the podcast, NGI Price & Markets Editor Leticia Gonzales is joined by Price Analysts Josiah Clinedinst and Josten Mavez to discuss everything from production trends to pipeline outages, as well as what may lie ahead for the natural gas market in the coming months.

Volatility in the North American oil and gas market is nothing new, as global commodity prices fluctuate in response to constant supply and demand changes. The number of drilling rigs in operation – and where – is a major indicator of oil and gas supply, in that it speaks to well completion activity and future production. In this episode of the Hub & Flow podcast,  Natural Gas Intelligence managing editor Carolyn Davis speaks with Primary Vision Network CEO Matthew Johnson, whose company each week publishes the Frac Spread Count, and they dig into where the U.S. drilling rig market is today and where it is forecast to be in the months to come.

Rapidan Energy Group’s Alex Munton, director of global gas service, joins NGI’s Senior LNG Editor Jamison Cocklin, to discuss how U.S. regulators are stepping up efforts to more closely scrutinize LNG export authorizations as global gas trading booms. They analyze the U.S. Department of Energy’s recent decision to more firmly impose deadlines for starting exports and establish conditions for acceptable delays. The conversation also explores how the policy has limited the path forward for Lake Charles LNG and the major hurdles it could create for about a dozen other U.S. export projects trying to move ahead.

NGI's Leticia Gonzales, Price & Markets Editor, talks to the RNG Coalition's Dana Adams, Manager of Legislative Policy, to discuss natural gas' essential role in the transition to a clean energy future. In this episode of Hub & Flow, Adams shares her insights into how renewable natural gas, carbon capture and sequestration, weatherization and clean heat policies are paving the way for the U.S.

NGI Senior Markets Editor Kevin Dobbs interviews Steve Blair, a senior account executive at Marex North America LLC. Blair tackles production, supplies, weather demand, LNG and more – essentially setting the stage for summer supply/demand and what may happen with prices through the peak cooling season.

Lower production in June has largely been attributed to planned maintenance. But some analysts think falling rig counts are starting to contribute to lower output estimates. At the same time, the South is cooking and other regions are warming fast. National Weather Service long-range forecasts point to at least average heat in July and August. There is also the potential for an uptick in liquefied natural gas demand in the coming months. If these demand drivers develop in concert with lower production, markets could rally. Blair explains why.

In the latest episode of the Hub & Flow podcast, NGI's senior Latin America editor Chris Lenton chats to Comisión Nacional de Hidrocarburos (CNH) Commissioner Hector Moreira, PhD, about the major trends shaping Mexico's upstream sector. They dig into what's behind the rising natural gas production trend; whether Mexico will restart bidding rounds; how effective Petróleos Mexicanos, or Pemex, has been in bringing down flaring; the increasing need for a domestic natural gas price index in Mexico; and how big the promise of nearshoring could be, and what it means for the energy sector.

Diving into annual FERC 552 Data, NGI’s Research & Strategy Director Patrick Rau analyzes what this required filing reveals about leading the U.S. natural gas market. Who leads the pack in terms of buying, selling and marketing natural gas in the United States? Tune in to Episode 110 of NGI’s Hub & Flow podcast to find out.

Structural changes have led to a surge in demand for U.S. underground natural gas storage capacity, but capacity additions have been non-existent for the last decade plus. Is more on the way? Plus, a quick primer of the industry, including market share statistics.

Port Arthur reached FID earlier this year, but a recent decision from the U.S. Department of Energy could compromise many partially contracted projects going forward. Things appear to be pointing up in Mexico, and Canada could be preparing for another FID of its own.