EQT, Chart Industries, Tellurian Execs: US LNG Can Save the World

HOUSTON—Show us the money, said executives during a CERAWeek by S&P Global panel on natural gas innovation urged investors on March 9. And for that matter, as far as regulators are concerned, show us the permitting.

In the short term, the U.S. is doing very little to alleviate energy shortages created by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, said Octávio Simões, president and CEO of Tellurian Inc. It’s not as simple as diverting LNG cargoes intended for Asia and sending them to Europe. A tight market in Asia leads to higher prices and could prompt those countries to switch to coal, which would have a detrimental effect on the climate.

What can be achieved in the short term, said Simões, whose company will start construction on its Driftwood LNG export terminal in Louisiana later this year, is accelerating the permitting process so that U.S. LNG export facilities can more easily attract capital for construction. Bringing projects to fruition will enable more natural gas to enter the global supply later in the decade.