What is LNG?
Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) is natural gas that has been cooled to about -260°F in a liquid state (liquefied) for transportation and storage. In natural gas pipelines, the volume of liquid natural gas is about 600 times smaller than the gaseous volume. This liquefaction process, developed in the 19th century, can transport natural gas where natural gas pipelines cannot, and use natural gas as a transportation fuel.
LNG adds to natural gas market
LNG is a way of transporting natural gas from producing regions to markets, such as in and out of the United States and other countries, when natural gas pipelines are not feasible or existent. Asian countries together account for the largest share of global LNG imports.
LNG export facilities receive natural gas through pipelines, liquefy the gas, and then transport it on special ocean-going LNG ships or tankers. Most LNG is transported in large on-board subcooled (cryogenic) tanks by tankers called LNG carriers. LNG can also be transported in smaller International Organization for Standardization (ISO)-compliant containers that can be placed on ships and trucks.
At the import terminal, LNG is unloaded from the ship and stored in cryogenic storage tanks before being returned to the gaseous state or regasified. After regasification, natural gas is transported through natural gas pipelines to natural gas power plants, industrial facilities, and residential and commercial customers.
Did you know?
Natural gas is transported as liquefied natural gas (LNG) on specially designed vessels. LNG is natural gas cooled to -260°F, the temperature at which natural gas turns into a liquid. The volume of liquid is 600 times smaller than that of gas form.
In the United States, some power plants manufacture and store LNG on-site when electricity demand is high, such as during cold and hot weather, or when pipeline capacity is constrained or insufficient to meet the growing demand for natural gas from other consumers. generate electricity. This process is called peak shaving. Power plants take gas from natural gas pipelines, liquefy it in small liquefaction facilities, and store it in cryogenic tanks. LNG is regasified and fired by power plants when needed. Some ships, trucks and buses have specially designed LNG storage tanks to use LNG as fuel.
U.S. LNG imports peaked in 2007
The U.S. imported a very small amount of LNG until 1995, and then LNG imports increased each year until peaking in 2007 at about 771 billion cubic feet (Bcf), or about 17 percent of total natural gas imports. LNG imports have declined in most years since 2007, as increased U.S. natural gas production and expansion of the natural gas pipeline network reduced the need for imported gas.
In 2021, the United States imported about 21.59 Bcf of LNG from just two countries. This equates to about 1% of total U.S. natural gas imports in 2021.
