The first international shipment of liquefied natural gas from the lower 48 states of the U.S. went to Brazil, marking a significant point in U.S. energy history because it shows the strength of the nation’s natural gas production, production that has grown in the past several years because of fracking and shale gas extraction. Much of it was development that came as a direct result of the technological advancements made by Oklahoma energy companies.
Cheniere Energy Partners L.P. moved the shipment from its Sabine Pass facility in southwest Louisiana. Cheniere is one of many companies developing natural gas exporting facilities and called the shipment a “historic event” that opened a “new chapter of the country in energy trade.”
The only unanswered question is whether slumping natural gas prices will affect future shipments.
Eric Smith, an associate director of Tulane University’s Energy Institute told the Associated Press he expects the Cheniere operation to be a success due to long-term contracts for more shipments and the strength of the U.S. natural gas production.
“We have all the natural gas that we need or want,” said Smith. “There’s plenty of gas in the ground.”
International shipments of LNG are nothing new to Alaska where the first shipments happened in 1969 when they went to Japan. But in the lower 48, it’s been a while since the country had enough gas to worry about shipments.
