美國天然氣價格首次超過亞歐市場基準價格

據(jù)路透社5月7日報道，美國天然氣價格本周首次超過歐洲和亞洲的基準價格，導(dǎo)致美國液化天然氣(LNG)買家因此取消了訂單。

5月5日，根據(jù)Refinitiv Eikon所有三份合同的最新定價數(shù)據(jù)，路易斯安那州Henry Hub benchmark 6月份交割的前一個月天然氣期貨首次結(jié)算了日本/韓國市場（JKM）和荷蘭產(chǎn)權(quán)轉(zhuǎn)讓設(shè)施指數(shù)TTF(天然氣)，Henry Hub期貨合約結(jié)算價較JKM上漲約11美分/百萬英熱，這是美國合約價格首次超過亞洲基準。

5月5日，美國期貨價格也較6月份的TTF合約上漲約32美分/百萬英熱。自4月30日以來，Henry Hub的價格每天都高于歐洲基準，這是該指數(shù)10年來首次收于TTF之上。

亞洲和歐洲的液化天然氣買家已經(jīng)取消了6月份從美國進口的約20艘液化天然氣貨物。由于美國天然氣價格高于在歐洲和亞洲部分地區(qū)的售價，這些買家取消了美國的天然氣供應(yīng)。

能源交易員表示，6月份近月合約的最新價格走勢，標志著現(xiàn)貨市場終于趕上了遠期市場的交易。

數(shù)周以來，美國夏季的天然氣一直在歐洲和亞洲的一些中心進行交易。不過，美國大多數(shù)液化天然氣已經(jīng)提前幾年賣給了使用這些燃料的公用事業(yè)公司，因此美國的一些貨物將繼續(xù)運往歐洲和亞洲。

戰(zhàn)略與國際研究中心(CSIS)高級研究員Nikos Tsafos 表示：“歐洲市場的遠期曲線在冬季仍顯示出上升趨勢。所以，如果有儲備，可以把天然氣帶到歐洲，儲存到冬天，然后再銷售出去賺取利潤?！?/span>

Refinitiv稱，5月迄今美國LNG平均每日出口70億立方英尺，低于4月8.1億立方英尺/天的四個月低點，也低于2月8.7億立方英尺/天的歷史高點。

鄒勤 摘譯自 路透社

原文如下：

LNG buyers cancel cargoes as U.S. natgas becomes most expensive in world

U.S. natural gas prices topped benchmarks in both Europe and Asia for the first time ever this week, giving buyers of U.S. liquefied natural gas (LNG) another reason to cancel cargoes.

Front-month gas futures for June delivery at the Henry Hub benchmark in Louisiana settled over both the Japan/Korea Marker (JKM) and the Title Transfer Facility (TTF) in the Netherlands for the first time on May 5, according to the most recent pricing data available for all three contracts on the Refinitiv Eikon.

Henry Hub futures for June settled about 11 cents per million British thermal units (mmBtu) over JKM on May 5, the first time the U.S. contract ever topped the Asian benchmark.

U.S. futures also closed about 32 cents per mmBtu over the June TTF contract on May 5. Henry Hub has settled above the European benchmark every day since April 30, which was the first time it closed over TTF in 10 years.

LNG buyers in Asia and Europe have already canceled the loading of around 20 cargoes from the United States in June as government lockdowns to stop the spread of coronavirus have cut gas demand around the world.

Those buyers canceled U.S. cargoes when forward prices made it more expensive to buy gas in the United States than it could be sold for in parts of Europe and Asia.

Energy traders said the latest front-month price moves for the June front-month contracts marked the point at which the spot market finally caught up to trading in forward markets.

U.S. gas for the summer has been trading over some European and Asian hubs for weeks.

Most U.S. LNG, however, has already been sold forward years in advance to utilities consuming the fuel, so some U.S. cargoes will continue to go to Europe and Asia.

“The forward curve in the European market still shows an uptick in the winter. So, if you have storage, you can bring the gas to Europe, store it until the winter and make money,” said Nikos Tsafos, senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS).

Refinitiv said U.S. LNG exports averaged 7.0 billion cubic feet per day (bcfd) so far in May, down from a four-month low of 8.1 bcfd in April and an all-time high of 8.7 bcfd in February.