Natural Gas Economy in the United States and European Markets

From 2001-2012, international trade in natural gas increased by 86.4%, with LNG technology visibly growing in importance. In 2005, the share of LNG in the total turnover accounted for 26%, while in 2012 for 32%. In 2012, global natural gas consumption, compared to the previous year, increased by 2%, reaching 3.3 bcm. North America recorded a significant increase of 27.5% in the consumption of gas, whereas in EU countries the consumption of this fuel decreased by 2.3%. This paper examines how the share of natural gas in primary energy consumption has changed in the European and American markets; the role of this energy source has been strengthening in the US market (28.3% in 2011; 30.0% in 2012) while showing a slight decline in Europe (24.2% in 2011; 23.9% in 2012). The analysis also presents the changes that occurred in terms of dependency on gas imports in the US market, with natural gas imports decreasing due to the development of unconventional gas deposits. In comparison, in the European market lower gas recovery from domestic reserves has meant increased importance of gas imports, including LNG. The paper presents changes in natural gas prices in the European and American markets, along with the prices of LNG delivered to Japan. In addition, it reviews trends in natural gas prices for industrial consumers and households in Canada and the United States (where the ‘shale revolution’ has significantly affected a drop in prices), as well as in selected EU countries. Finally, the impact in recent years of the global natural gas market on the gas sector in Poland is examined. Highlighted are the actions undertaken to establish a competitive gas market.