LNG liquefaction annual capacity, which is under construction or approved for development as of February this year stood at 216.9mn tonnes globally, the International Gas Union (IGU) said in its latest report.

In 2023, a total of 58.8 MTPY of liquefaction capacity was approved, mostly contributed by the Plaquemines LNG (T19-T36, 10 MTPY), Port Arthur LNG (13.5 MTPY), Rio Grande LNG (17.6 MTPY) in the US, and QatarEnergy LNG (15.6 MTPY) in Qatar.

Already, Qatar has announced that its LNG production capacity will go up from the current 77 MTPY to 142 MTPY by 2030.

QatarEnergy’s North Field East (NFE) project will raise Qatar’s LNG production capacity from its current 77mn metric tonnes per year to 110 MTPY.

NFE represents the first phase of expansion, the second phase, the North Field South (NFS) project, will further increase Qatar’s LNG production capacity to 126 MTPY.

A third phase, the North Field West (NFW) project will boost Qatar’s LNG production to 142 MTPY by the end of 2030.

Meanwhile, global liquefaction capacity had reached 482.5 MTPY in 2023, IGU noted.

As of February this year, there were some 21 markets operating LNG export facilities. The US remained the market with the largest operational liquefaction capacity at around 91.4 MTPY, followed by Australia with liquefaction capacity of 87.6 MTPY, and Qatar with 77.1 MTPA.

The top three LNG export markets currently represent more than half of global liquefaction capacity, IGU noted.

The focus on decarbonising the global energy sector has gained momentum in recent years, the report said. LNG is a major component of the global energy mix and decarbonising along the LNG value chain is a priority for many stakeholders in the industry. Driving down liquefaction sector emissions provides a significant opportunity to reduce GHG emissions in the value chain, and there has been a notable increase in efforts in this area.

Several proposed projects – such as Cedar LNG 1 and Kitimat LNG in Canada – are looking to use hydropower to run their operations, with a CCS study planned for Egypt’s Idku LNG plant.

The progress towards low-carbon LNG is also under way, with initiatives such as the use of renewable energy sources and the development of CCS technology at liquefaction facilities, IGU said.

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