???? 據天然氣加工 2021年3月26日休斯敦報道，美國天然氣生產商越來越依賴向歐洲和亞洲出口液化天然氣（LNG），以吸收其日益增長的天然氣產量，并防止國內天然氣價格因供應過剩而暴跌。

????根據美國能源信息署（EIA）公布的統計數據，2015年至2020年，美國天然氣產量(平均每年4.3%)的增幅約為消費量(2.3%)的增幅的兩倍。

????部分過剩的天然氣被用來替代以前的進口天然氣，其余的則通過管道或以LNG形式出口到美洲、歐洲、中東和亞洲市場。

????美國的LNG年出口量已從2015年的不足10億立方米激增至2020年的近670億立方米，并迅速趕上對加拿大和墨西哥的管道天然氣出口量。

????去年，美國LNG出口占國內天然氣總產量的7%以上，到年底這一比例首次達到了10%。

????美國LNG出口市場增長最快的是歐洲和亞洲市場，而美洲和中東市場增長較小。

????在2016年到2020年之間，美國對亞洲的LNG年出口量增加了220億立方米，而對歐洲的LNG年出口量增加了200億立方米。

????在國際市場上，美國天然氣與來自卡塔爾、澳大利亞和俄羅斯的LNG競爭；從俄羅斯和中亞到歐洲和東亞的管道天然氣；以及用于發電和取暖的煤和其它燃料。

????因此，確保進入出口市場已成為美國天然氣行業和美國外交官的首要任務。

????美國LNG出口有助于其他國家和地區的能源安全，同時在美國可以提供更多就業機會。

????李峻 編譯自 天然氣加工

????原文如下：

????U.S. gas industry increasingly relies on LNG exports

????U.S. gas producers have become increasingly reliant on LNG exports to Europe and Asia to absorb their growing output and prevent domestic prices from plunging as a result of oversupply.

????Between 2015 and 2020, U.S. gas production grew roughly twice as fast (4.3% per year on average) as consumption (2.3% per year), according to data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

????Some of the excess has been used to replace previous imports, but the rest has been exported by pipeline or as LNG, to markets in the Americas, Europe, the Middle East and Asia.

????LNG exports surged to almost 67 billion cubic metres in 2020, up from less than 1 billion cubic metres in 2015, and were rapidly catching up with pipeline exports to Canada and Mexico.

????Outbound LNG shipments accounted for more than 7% of all domestic gas production last year, and by the end of the year the proportion had reached 10% for the first time.

????The fastest growth for U.S. LNG has been to markets in Europe and Asia, with smaller increases to the Americas and the Middle East.

????Between 2016 and 2020, annual exports to Asia increased by 22 billion cubic metres, while shipments to Europe rose by 20 billion cubic metres.

????In international markets, U.S. gas competes with LNG from Qatar, Australia and Russia; pipeline gas from Russia and Central Asia to Europe and East Asia; and coal and other fuels used for power generation and heating.

????As a result, securing access to export markets has become a top priority for the gas industry as well as U.S. diplomats.

????LNG exports contribute to energy security in allied countries while providing employment in the United States.