For the Quarter Ending March 2022
North America
In this quarter, the price of Natural Gas surged with rising tension between Russia and Ukraine and limited supply and bullish demand. February future contract on the New York Mercantile Exchange (NYMEX) reached nearly $4.75 per MMBtu where price rally up to be strongest since gas future debuted more than 30 years ago. Downstream Methanol fuel applications had started to grow with consumption in automobile industry is also spotted to be on the higher side. US Methanol two largest marketers Methanex and Southern Chemical sales revenue increase with increase in the demand of Methanol as a fuel industry. Against the backdrop of Russia's attack on Ukraine, the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) revealed that Lower 48 petroleum gas inventories dropped 129 Bcf for the week finishing, a slightly lighter draw than anticipated. Towards the end of the quarter, the price of Natural Gas surged to 4.94 Henry Hub Natural Gas USD per million Btu. Compared with previous quarter, the price of Natural Gas in US slipped by 6%.
Asia Pacific
In Asian region, the prices of Natural gas surged as the conflict between Russia and Ukraine hampered the prices in the region. In India, the price of Natural Gas ended on high note with price of USD 5.012 per MMBtu Ex-Hazira. Spot Naphtha prices extended their gain in India. However, the downstream derivative market was observed to be weak supported by deteriorating demand from the end user consumers. Bullish sentiments of Natural Gas in global market strengthens and provided producers leverage in pricing. CNG prices in the Indian market was surged driving up the cost of cooking commuting and electricity while increasing the fertilizer subsidy bill for the government. Compared with previous quarter, the price of Natural Gas in India slipped by 12% when compared with Q4 2021.
Europe
In Q1 2022, the energy and Natural Gas prices remained on the higher end with wild price swing and fear escalate about potential disruption in Russian supplies. US LNG exports to European region increased due to low inventories and strong market sentiments. It was also heard that the spot prices of Natural Gas in Europe exceed the Asian spot prices. In Germany, the price of Natural Gas towards the end of the quarter observed to be USD 5.5 per MMBtu. On 25th March, the US and European Union (EU) joint task force to provide the 15 billion cubic centimetres of Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) to Europe, which will slow the market tension.
For the quarter Ending December 2021
North America
In Q4, the prices of Natural gas touched the bottom in December compared with October 2021. In October, production disruptions caused by the landfall of hurricane Ida coupled with increasing demand for energy and lack of infrastructure meant that prices of Natural gas doubled since the beginning of the year. Towards the end of Q4, Natural Gas prices in the US dropped to their lowest in the last one month amidst expectations of a warmer-than-expected winter forecast. Henry Hub Natural Gas slipped down to USD 3.7 per million MMBtu levels in December due to lower contract settlements and weak futures in the global markets.
Asia Pacific
The prices of Natural Gas kept on decreasing month on month from October to December. In Q4, several buyers' year-end lull and wait-and-see stance have surrounded the region’s energy markets, causing the prices to remain within a range in the country. The downstream LNG market regained weakness on December 20th despite European supplies turning firmer due to continued tightness. Natural Gas prices were observed to be USD 3.97 per MMBtu for a larger part of December. As per market players, the domestic industry had high inventory levels. Natural Gas prices have largely stood rangebound during the weak on growing demand-related concerns across the as the Omicron scare pushed down global energy markets. Ex-Hazira price for Natural Gas has been assessed around INR 289100 per 1000 MMBtu as last week of Dec.
Europe
Gas prices in Europe reached unprecedented levels in Q4 2021. Fear that Europe might run out of gas in February or March drove the prices. Gazprom’s failure to fill its storage facilities in Europe was a significant driver of the perceived inadequacy of European reserves for the winter. Several factors have pushed the prices of Natural Gas amid strong demand as the effect of the pandemic lockdown eases. At the same time, import volume from Russia remains low due to disruption in gas flow and political tensions. Elevated gas prices pushed the electricity bills higher in the countries like Britain and Italy, which use a large amount of gas to generate power.
