据路透社12月17日报道称，对液化天然气（LNG）出口新项目的争夺正转向太平洋西北地区，航运费率的不断上升使得该地区进入亚洲的便利更具吸引力，而天然气价格的变化令交易变得更加诱人，也使该地区长期以来的建议正在重新被审视。
10月，荷兰皇家壳牌公司及其亚洲合作伙伴批准在不列颠哥伦比亚省建设一座价值300亿美元的出口终端，令投资者感到惊讶的是，该工厂将以比美国墨西哥湾沿岸新项目更具竞争力的价格向亚洲提供超冷却燃料。
从那时起，成本进一步向有利于加拿大的方向发展。由于油轮短缺，11月LNG运费触及纪录高位，推高了从美国墨西哥湾沿岸到亚洲的多周行程成本，而随着加拿大天然气价格下跌，德克萨斯州的天然气价格飙升了51％。
30多个北美液化天然气出口设施处于不同的开发或建设阶段，以满足不断增长的需求。随着中国等国家将从煤炭转向更清洁的燃料，到2030年，全球液化天然气需求预计将翻一番，达到每年5.5亿吨。
传统上，投资者偏爱墨西哥湾沿岸的项目，这导致了美国的第一波建设热潮。然而，壳牌的成本估算，不断变化的市场环境以及由于中美贸易战而导致的长达数月暂停向中国供应LNG的情况都使得太平洋西北地区更具吸引力。
徐蕾 摘译自 路透社
原文如下：
Pacific Coast LNG plans get fresh look as market shifts
The scramble for new projects to export liquefied natural gas (LNG) is shifting to the Pacific Northwest, where longstanding proposals are getting a renewed look as rising shipping rates make the region’s easy access to Asia more appealing, with gas price shifts sweetening the deal.
In October, Royal Dutch Shell and its Asian partners approved construction of a $30 billion export terminal in British Columbia, surprising investors by saying the plant would deliver the super-cooled fuel to Asia at a more competitive price than new U.S. Gulf Coast projects.
Since then, costs have shifted further in Canada’s favor. LNG shipping rates hit record highs in November, due to a tanker shortage, boosting costs for multi-week journeys from the U.S. Gulf Coast to Asia, while natural gas priced in Texas has surged as much as 51 percent as Canadian gas prices fell.
More than 30 North American LNG export facilities are in various stages of development or construction to meet growing demand. Global LNG demand is expected to double to 550 million tonnes per annum (mtpa) by 2030, as countries like China move away from coal to cleaner fuels.
Investors have traditionally favored Gulf Coast projects, which led to the first wave of U.S. builds. However, Shell’s cost estimates, shifting market conditions and a months-long suspension of LNG deliveries to China due to the U.S.-China trade war have made the Pacific Northwest more attractive.
