Browse by: "G"

This report systematically examines the key points for natural gas liberalisation and regulatory reform in Europe and the United States over the past decades. It addresses market design, third-party access, capacity allocation, trading centre formation, pipeline tariff setting, and regulatory measures. In addition, the report analyses the transition process itself and identifies the related measures that can help national markets become more openly competitive. Based on these international experiences, the report then looks at the current situation of natural gas liberalisation in the People’s Republic of China, focusing on the importance of designing a suitable framework for the natural gas market by using best-policy tools.

The central goal of this report is to allow policy makers in China to benefit from international experiences to effectively promote the current liberalisation, the success of which will also greatly influence the global industrial development of gas.

This report is the result of a project involving relevant Chinese, European, and United States institutions under the overall oversight of the International Energy Agency.

Global gas demand fell by an estimated 2.5% or 100 billion cubic metres (bcm) in 2020 – its largest drop on record. Amid this slowdown, gas demand for power generation remained resilient owing to fuel switching, while the whole supply chain showed strong flexibility in adjusting to demand variations. Gas trade globalisation progressed with increasing liquidity, while prices experienced historical lows and extreme volatility. The Covid-19 crisis and a well-supplied market put investment on hold, whereas gas market reforms and clean gas policy initiatives gained momentum in major consuming markets.

2021 opens with price rallies in Asia and Europe as rising winter demand tightened supply, but the price spikes are not expected to last beyond the short-term cold snaps given that market fundamentals for 2021 remain fragile. Global gas demand is expected to recover its 2019 level but with uncertainties regarding the recovery trajectory of fast-growing markets compared with more mature regions. Sectoral demand, on the other hand, is subject to a variety of risk factors including fuel switching, slow industrial rebound or milder weather.

This new quarterly report offers a detailed analysis of recent developments in global gas markets and the near-term outlook, and includes an overview of the main market highlights for 2020.

Global natural gas consumption rebounded by 4.6% in 2021, more than double the decline seen in 2020. The strong demand growth in 2021 was driven by the economic recovery that followed the previous year’s lockdowns and by a succession of extreme weather events. Supply did not keep pace which, combined with unexpected outages, led to tight markets and steep price increases, putting the brakes on demand growth in the second half of 2021.

The year closed with record high spot prices in Europe and Asia, as natural gas supply remained very tight. The direction of short-term demand will depend on the weather during the rest of the northern hemisphere’s heating season. Assuming normal temperatures, growth of the natural gas market is expected to be slowed by higher gas prices and softer economic expansion, while supply tensions may ease as offline capacity gradually returns. The exceptionally high gas (and by extension electricity) prices are likely to have an impact beyond just northern markets and the current season, with some ripple effects in both mature and emerging gas importing markets already visible.

This new issue of the quarterly Gas Market Report includes an overview of the main market highlights for 2021, and an analysis of recent gas market developments with a forecast for 2022.

After a record drop in global demand of about 75 billion cubic metres (bcm) in 2020, natural gas markets experienced significant supply-demand tensions in the initial months of 2021. Colder-than-expected temperatures and tighter supply led to price rallies and spikes, first in Northeast Asia in January and then in North America in February.

These winter storms provided some short-term support to natural gas demand, but market fundamentals for 2021 remain fragile. Global gas demand is expected to recover to its 2019 level, but with uncertainties regarding the recovery trajectory in fast-growing markets as compared to more mature regions, while sectoral demand is subject to a variety of risk factors including a slow rebound in economic activity and fuel switching.

This new quarterly report offers a detailed review of 2020’s gas supply and demand fundamentals and figures, an analysis of recent developments in global gas markets during the northern hemisphere’s heating season, and an updated near-term outlook for 2021.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has triggered a major energy supply and security crisis that has sent commodity prices to new highs, with wider implications for the global economy.The conflict has put further considerable pressure on natural gas markets and raised uncertainty in the context of an already tight market. Europe has been at the epicentre of market tensions since the beginning of the heating season, resulting from the combination of lower than average underground storage inventory – principally from sites partly owned or controlled by Gazprom – and a sharp year-on-year drop in Russian pipeline supplies. Lower Russian supplies have largely been compensated by LNG, turning Europe into the premium market and drawing cargoes away from Asia Pacific and other regions. The resulting tight supply, high prices, and heightened market uncertainty have led to a downward revision in global gas consumption growth, which as a result is expected to turn negative for 2022.This new issue of the quarterly Gas Market Report features a detailed review of 2021’s gas supply and demand fundamentals, an analysis of recent developments in global gas markets during the northern hemisphere’s heating season, and an updated near-term outlook for 2022.

Pressure on the European and global gas markets has eased since the beginning of 2023 due to favourable weather conditions and timely policy actions. By the end of Q1 2023 European hub and Asian spot liquefied natural gas (LNG) prices had fallen below their summer 2021 levels, albeit remaining well above their historic averages. The steep decline in natural gas demand reduced the need for storage withdrawals in Europe and the United States over the 2022/23 winter. As a result, storage sites closed the heating season1 with inventory levels standing well above their five-year average. This is expected to reduce injection demand during the summer of 2023, and potentially ease market fundamentals.

The improved outlook for gas markets in 2023 is no guarantee against future volatility and should not be a distraction from measures to mitigate potential risks. Global gas supply is set to remain tight in 2023 and the global balance is subject to an unusually wide range of uncertainties. These include adverse weather factors, such as a dry summer or a cold Q4, lower availability of LNG and the possibility of a further decline in Russian pipeline gas deliveries to the European Union.

This new issue of the quarterly Gas Market Report provides an overview of recent gas market developments during the 2022/23 heating season, with a forecast for 2023.

Natural gas markets started off the year with a strong rebound, supported by a combination of recovering economic activity in most markets along with a series of weather-related events – cold spells in Q1 followed by colder or drier than average temperatures in Q2. Rising demand in 2021 is expected to offset 2020’s decline and even grow further with an anticipated 3.6% annual increase.

Demand growth is, however, not expected to maintain this pace in the medium term, but rather to slow to an average 1.7% annual rate for the 2022-2024 period, equally driven by economic activity and fuel switching from coal and oil. This slower growth may still be too high to match a net-zero emissions path, which requires higher substitution rates and efficiency gains – especially in mature markets, where most of the switching potential from coal and oil to gas has already been realised.

This new quarterly report offers a medium-term forecast and analysis of global gas markets to 2024, as well as a review of recent developments in major regional gas markets during the first half of 2021.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has exacerbated the tightening supply of natural gas underway since mid-2021, further pushing up prices for consumers and leading to fuel switching and demand destruction. It also casts longer-term uncertainty on market prospects for natural gas, especially in developing markets where it was to play a central role in energy transitions.

Natural gas demand is expected to decline in 2022 and remain subdued up to 2025. Europe’s surging pursuit of LNG to phase out Russian pipeline supply and limited global LNG export capacity additions raise the risk of prolonged tight markets. Faster development and implementation of clean energy transition policies, especially in mature gas markets, would ease price competition and help emerging markets access supplies that can contribute to short-term improvements in carbon intensity and air quality.

This new issue of the Gas Market Report offers a medium-term forecast and analysis of global gas markets to 2025, as well as a review of recent developments in major regional gas markets during the first half of 2022.

Winter 2021/22 opens with record high seasonal gas prices, as the combination of a strong recovery in demand, extreme weather events and unplanned supply outages have led to tighter markets. Such tensions are a reminder that security of supply remains a major topic for gas markets, only a year after a record drop in demand and oversupplied markets.

The succession of market events over the past year further illustrates the critical role flexibility plays in ensuring security and continuity of supply. Flexible liquefied natural gas trade – alongside other major components of the gas flexibility toolbox such as interconnectors and storage capacity – has been and remains instrumental to adjusting to sharp and unexpected demand swings (both up and down). Delivering flexible and yet secure supply is likely to become more complex for systems in transition as they switch to low-carbon gas to reach net zero emission objectives. Regulators should therefore adopt a prudent and scalable approach to market design to ensure security of supply in a transitioning gas system.

This new quarterly report includes a review of gas security in light of recent supply-related developments, and an analysis of short-term gas market evolution to 2022.

This year’s winter gas season opens with extreme natural gas price levels and volatility, caused by unprecedented uncertainty of supply as Russia steeply curtails its pipeline deliveries to Europe. The result is considerable market tension in alternative sources of supply. Security of supply has become a top priority in Europe and other importing regions as a total cut-off in Russian flows to Europe cannot be ruled out, creating further tensions and demand destruction for all competing LNG importers.

The gas crisis triggered by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 has caused a series of market adjustments. European buyers have strongly increased their LNG procurement, resulting in market tightening and demand destruction in various importing regions. This has also had a visible impact on LNG contracting behaviours, with a return to more traditional features such as fixed-destination and longer-duration contracts. The European Union, whose member states are directly exposed to the threat of further supply cuts, has adopted a number of measures to enhance security of supply and market resilience ahead of the coming winter.

This quarterly report includes the IEA’s annual Global Gas Security Review and an analysis of short-term gas market evolution to 2023.

China will play a positive role in the global development of gas, the International Energy Agency’s (IEA) Executive Director, Maria Van der Hoeven has said in Beijing on 11 September, 2012 when launching a new IEA report: Gas Pricing and Regulation, China’s challenges and IEA experiences.

In line with its aim to meet growing energy demand while shifting away from coal, China has set an ambitious goal of doubling its use of natural gas from 2011 levels by 2015. Prospects are good for significant new supplies – both domestic and imported, conventional and unconventional – to come online in the medium-term, but notable challenges remain, particularly concerning gas pricing and the institutional and regulatory landscape.
 
While China’s circumstances are, in many respects unique, some current issues are similar to those a number of IEA countries have faced. This report highlights some key challenges China faces in its transition to greater reliance on natural gas, then explores in detail relevant experiences from IEA countries, particularly in the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and the United States as well as the European Union (EU). Preliminary suggestions about how lessons learned in other countries could be applied to China’s situation are offered as well.
 
The aim of this report is to provide stakeholders in China with a useful reference as they consider decisions about the evolution of the gas sector in their country.
 
The report is funded by the UK Strategic Programme Fund programme , and the EU delegation in Beijing and the World Bank have provided in-kind contributions. The project is supported by the Chinese government and co-implemented by China 5E.
 

Information technology, especially the electronic network known as the World Wide Web, is changing the way that businesses and consumers interact. This expansive electronic network allows both businesses and consumers to transcend global barriers, gaining access to products and information in ways that were once unimaginable. However, travelling outside the realm of the terrestrial marketplace with its commercial and geographic restraints can also mean moving in an unpredictable environment without the security that traditional marketplace practices and consumer protection laws provide.

In March 1997, the OECD Committee on Consumer Policy, along with the OECD Committee on Information, Computer and Communications Policy convened an international gathering of information technology policy experts, consumer advocates, business and government representatives. This report, based on this diverse gathering, examines ways to protect and empower consumers to make informed choices in this expanding global online marketplace.

This quarterly report provides the most up-to-date detailed information on individual commitments, i.e. intended disbursements, of Official Development Assistance (ODA) and Official Aid. The data are ordered by recipient countries, including Central and Eastern European countries and the New Independent States of the former Soviet Union.

This issue records all the commitments reported by Member countries of the OECD Development Assistance Committee and entered into the Creditor Reporting System (CRS) database in the period between 1st June and 31st August 1998.

This quarterly report provides the most up-to-date detailed information on individual commitments, {i.e.} intended disbursements, of Official Development Assistance (ODA) and Official Aid. The data are ordered by recipient countries, including Central and Eastern European countries and the New Independent States of the former Soviet Union.

This issue records all the commitments reported by Members of the OECD Development Assistance Committee and by multilateral institutions and entered into the Creditor Reporting System (CRS) database in the period between 1st May and 31 July 1999.

This quarterly report provides the most up-to-date detailed information on individual commitments, i.e. intended disbursements, of Official Development Assistance (ODA) and Official Aid. The data are ordered by recipient countries, including Central and Eastern European countries and the New Independent States of the former Soviet Union.

This issue records all the commitments reported by Members of the OECD Development Assistance Committee and by multilateral institutions and entered into the Creditor Reporting System (CRS) database in the period between 1st February and 30 April 1999.

This quarterly report provides the most up-to-date detailed information on individual commitments, {i.e.} intended disbursements, of Official Development Assistance (ODA) and Official Aid. The data are ordered by recipient countries, including Central and Eastern European countries and the New Independent States of the former Soviet Union.

This issue records all the commitments reported by Member countries of the OECD Development Assistance Committee and entered into the Creditor Reporting System (CRS) database in the period between 1st November 1998 and 31 January 1999.

This quarterly report provides the most up-to-date detailed information on individual commitments, i.e. intended disbursements, of Official Development Assistance (ODA) and Official Aid. The data are ordered by recipient countries, including Central and Eastern European countries and the New Independent States of the former Soviet Union.

This issue records all the commitments reported by Member countries of the OECD Development Assistance Committee and entered into the Creditor Reporting System (CRS) database in the period between 1st December 1997 and 28th February 1998.