Sudden failures at LNG plants in the US, Nigeria and Australia are forcing traders, including BP and Shell, to pay more for alternative supplies, Reuters writes.
Industry sources told the agency that BP, in particular, suffered losses of more than $500 million after the sudden closure of the Freeport LNG plant in Texas in June.
Kirill Rodionov, an expert from the Fuel and Energy Complex Technology Development Institute, also spoke about the situation on the gas market.
In an interview with the Izvestiya newspaper, he expressed the opinion that a sharp increase in LNG imports in Europe could lead to a decrease in the availability of raw materials for consumers in other regions of the world.
According to him, inter-regional competition in the LNG market next winter will push prices up.