Global current status, typical technologies, challenges and future perspectives of LNG cold energy utilization

This review synthesizes the global status, mainstream technologies, and implementation challenges of LNG cold energy utilization. We characterize the spatial distribution and utilization levels at receiving terminals to define the practical baseline of the field, then organize mature applications, including power generation, air separation, liquid CO2 and dry-ice production, refrigeration, desalination, and food cold processing, together with emerging pathways such as cascade utilization, hydrogen-system integration, and cold energy storage. Across these routes, the analysis identifies three system-level bottlenecks that hinder scale-up: limited equipment compatibility and integration with existing process trains, high upfront CAPEX that weakens project bankability, and cold-loss management across transmission and distribution. Building on these findings, the paper proposes an integration-oriented roadmap: (i) design rules for temperature-ladder matching and pinch-driven heat-exchange networks, (ii) modular and retrofittable units that reduce integration risk and cost, and (iii) storage-enabled, multi-energy complementary systems that couple LNG cold energy with hydrogen, air separation, and regional “cold-industry” clusters. The review translates dispersed case evidence into comparable guidance for engineering design and investment decision-making, and highlights research and development priorities that can unlock system-level efficiency and carbon-mitigation benefits.