Impending Shortage of LNG Shipping Capacity: Fact or Fiction, Wednesday, Sept. 15
Between now and 2008, some 60 ships are on order and another 30 are optioned. Meanwhile, 32 million metric tons of capacity are under construction in the Atlantic and Pacific basins. Nine-percent nickel steel has doubled in value to more $4,000 per ton. Developers are announcing and shelving terminal projects every month. With any industry growing so rapidly among so many entities, imbalances between liquefaction, shipping and receiving are almost certain to occur. How, where and to what extent these imbalances arise will be the topic of discussion for the Wednesday workshop, entitled "Impending Shortage of LNG Shipping Capacity: Fact or Fiction."

Sources of LNG Supply for Independent U.S. Terminals, Thursday, Sept. 16
As entrepreneurial companies like Cheniere, McMoRan, Excelerate and Crystal Energy work to develop their terminals, one is led to ask from where the LNG will come. Integrated multinationals, also called aggregators, are constructing liquefaction plants and shipping supply lines concurrent with their terminals. So, their supplies are more assured and easier to identify. Mid-tier independents, like Hess, Occidental and Anadarko, have the creditworthiness to contract supplies and shipping. They can advance their terminals without firm off-take agreements, as Sempra is doing with its Cameron project.

Only the independent entrepreneurial merchant developers must match creditworthy buyers with suppliers before they can proceed. Thus far, few buyers have been willing to take on the commitments necessary to finance the infrastructure for long-term LNG supplies. And, exporters are unwilling or unable to commit new capacity to spot markets.

So, where will the supplies for independent terminals originate? Assuming long-term ultimately buyers emerge, what suppliers can squeeze new uncommitted volumes from their existing facilities? Who may find themselves with wedge volumes? What techniques can be used to increase liquefaction and load-out capacities on short order? These are some of the questions to be addressed during this workshop, entitled "Sources of LNG Supply for Independent U.S. Terminals: Will There Be Enough?"