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United States LNG export terminal license pause might improve coal usage abroad, states Williams CEO

The Biden administration's pause on approving permits for U.S. liquefied gas (LNG) export terminals might backfire by boosting coal use overseas, Alan Armstrong, CEO of U.S. gas pipeline operator Williams Companies, informed on Tuesday.

Last month, the administration stopped briefly approvals for pending and future applications to export LNG from brand-new jobs as the Department of Energy (DOE) examines the financial and environmental effects of such tasks.

Even with new jobs stopped briefly, the U.S. is set to broaden its LNG capability.

International LNG consumers, particularly in blossoming electrical energy markets like Southeast Asia, are thinking about developing facilities that counts on coal rather than natural gas in the wake of the time out, Armstrong stated in an interview at Williams' Clean Energy Expo in Washington on Tuesday.

We had a substantial opportunity as a nation to get market share that was getting terrified away by Russia's activity, and now we've. pretty well ruined what was on the bubble, Armstrong said.

LNG exports to Asia hit a record high of 26.49 million. metric heaps in December but was largely driven by China,. according to information compiled by commodity analyst Kpler.

On the other hand, China's coal production reached a record high of. 4.66 billion metric loads in 2023, and its overall power. generation, which is controlled by coal-fired plants, rose 8%. year-on-year in December.

There have actually been no public statements about transformed. projects in Southeast Asia given that the U.S. pause.

Nevertheless, some countries in the area, including Vietnam,. that are on the fence about whether to build infrastructure to. accommodate coal or LNG will be particularly affected by the. pause, Armstrong stated.

They are thinking, 'we were on the bubble between coal and,. and LNG, and (the U.S.) just made our mind up for us, he added.

(source: Reuters)