据能源世界网8月17日墨尔本报道，澳大利亚竞争和消费者委员会（ACCC）周二表示，除非液化天然气（LNG）出口商向国内市场提供更多天然气，否则澳大利亚南部各州2022年或将面临天然气短缺。
这份报告描绘了一幅比澳大利亚能源市场运营商（AEMO）在3月份所描绘的更为可怕的图景，当时该公司表示，亿万富翁安德鲁·福雷斯特（Andrew Forrest）计划在2022年之前建成一座液化天然气进口终端，这将到2026年避免天然气短缺。
ACCC周二表示，拟议的LNG进口终端最早要到2023年才能建成。
ACCC主席罗德·西姆斯（Rod Sims）在一份声明中表示，明年不稳定的供应形势凸显了澳大利亚政府与液化天然气出口商于2021年1月签署的新协议的重要性。
澳大利亚东海岸的三家液化天然气出口商——澳大利亚太平洋液化天然气公司、昆士兰柯蒂斯液化天然气公司和格莱斯顿液化天然气公司——今年早些时候与联邦政府达成协议，在天然气出口之前向当地市场提供未受合同约束的天然气。
西姆斯表示，到目前为止，对该协议的遵守还不够充分，并呼吁液化天然气出口商“提高警惕”。液化天然气生产商最初的反应是考虑到在不久的将来澳大利亚南部各州可能依赖其剩余天然气。
据ACCC称，预计2022年天然气需求将超过生产和储存的供应量6千万亿焦耳，如果燃气发电厂的需求高于预期，差距可能会更大。
在东海岸开始出口液化天然气后天然气价格大幅上涨后，ACCC于2017年开始对天然气市场进行为期六个月的评审。
由于冠状病毒导致的需求下滑，去年天然气价格从年初的约6- 11美元/十亿焦耳降至下半年的约6- 8美元/十亿焦耳，但监管机构表示，供应紧张的局面可能会再次推高价格。
郝芬 译自 能源世界网
原文如下：
Australia faces "precarious" gas supply in 2022, watchdog warns
Australia's southern states could face a gas shortfall in 2022 unless liquefied natural gas (LNG) exporters offer more gas into the domestic market, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) said align="justify"> The report paints a more dire picture than the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) gave in March, when it said plans by billionaire Andrew Forrest to have an LNG import terminal ready by 2022 would stave off any gas shortfall until 2026.
The ACCC said align="justify"> "The precarious supply situation for next year highlights the importance of the new Heads of Agreement that the Australian government signed with LNG exporters in January 2021," ACCC Chair Rod Sims said in a statement.
Australia's three east coast LNG exporters - Australia Pacific LNG, Queensland Curtis LNG and Gladstone LNG - earlier this year agreed with the federal government to offer uncontracted gas to the local market before it is exported.
Sims said compliance with that agreement was inadequate so far and called align="justify"> "The initial responses from LNG producers were concerning give that in the near future Australia's southern states may depend align="justify"> Gas demand is expected to outstrip supply from production and storage by 6 petajoules in 2022, and the gap could be even larger if demand from gas-fired power plants is higher than forecast, the ACCC said.
The ACCC began its six-monthly reviews of the gas market in 2017 after gas prices jumped sharply following the start up of LNG exports from the east coast.
Gas prices fell last year from around $6-$11/gigajoule at the beginning of the year to around $6-$8/GJ in the second half amid a coronavirus-driven demand slump, but the watchdog said the tightening supply situation could drive prices higher again.
