RBAC Inc., Energy Market Simulation Systems

Italy: A Major Gateway Between Europe and Africa

Italy is one of the largest consumers of natural gas in Europe and is also home to one of the ‘supermajor’ oil and gas companies known as Eni. However, along with the rest of Europe, Italy’s domestic demand for natural gas has been decreasing with consumption dropping in 2023 to the lowest point since 2015. […]

Ever Increasing U.S. Natural Gas Exports – for Now

The Biden Administration dropped a bombshell last week, announcing a pause to some natural gas export facility approvals and a review of how such projects are evaluated. Future evaluations of LNG Export facilities will “adequately account” for domestic energy costs and greenhouse gas emissions. How this pause impacts future industry developments is yet to be […]

What Would Happen if a Major Waterway were Closed to LNG tankers?

Introduction Recently we have seen two instances where LNG tanker traffic was affected due to issues in the Panama Canal and the Red Sea.  In the case of the Panama Canal, low water level in Gatun Lake has resulted in a reduction in capacity with associated increase in traversal time, fees, and cost. Figure 1. […]

Navigating Market Sensitivities: A Deep Dive into Winter Forecast Impacts on LNG Trade

Navigating Seasonal Uncertainties In the volatile world of LNG trade, understanding the impact of winter on market dynamics is crucial. This commentary introduces a novel approach: scenario planning as a strategic tool for navigating seasonal uncertainties. The key insight is that grasping market trends and dynamics is more critical than predicting exact price levels. This […]

Egypt’s Gas and LNG: Global Challenges and Global Ambitions

Egypt has a long and storied history across thousands of years. It has seen the world develop from a hunter-gatherer society to the modern globally connected world. Egypt has long relied on the presence of the Nile River to sustain the country, however in terms of energy the famous river only plays a small part […]

Global Waves: Navigating the Ripple Effects of China’s Economic Tide on LNG Markets

Authored by Dr. Ning Lin and Jiaxin Yang. The analysis of China’s potential economic slowdown and its cascading effects on the global LNG market reveals intricate and dynamic interdependencies. The most significant finding is the sensitivity of LNG imports to economic conditions, particularly in China, and how these conditions can instigate substantial shifts in global […]

Potential Impacts of a Hurricane on Gulf LNG Exports

The advent of the LNG Export Era has had a dramatic impact on the North American Natural Gas Market. Nearly 13% of all natural gas produced in North America is shipped overseas to trading partners; exposing domestic customers to international markets. This global market exposure has been highlighted by the events in Ukraine when Russian […]

Is Natural Gas Argentina’s Silver Lining?

Argentina has the second largest shale gas reserves in the world; with a new president having to face the dark clouds of rampant inflation and economic chaos, could their natural gas be the silver lining they are looking for? Argentina’s President-elect, Javier Milei, a free-market economist and libertarian, has a herculean task in front of […]

Is Mexico Over Reliant on U.S. Natural Gas?

Mexico: A Gas Nation Mexico’s electricity consumption per capita has grown steadily 4.9% per year since 1985, and it is the top consumer of similar sized emerging markets. Much this electricity is powered by natural gas. Figure 1, Electricity per Capita of Similar Sized Developing Countries. Source: Our World in Data Figure 2, Electricity Production […]

The Role of Natural Gas in South Korea’s Miracle Rise

South Korea is now known as a highly developed economy with a hand in a variety of industries such as electronics, automobiles, telecommunications, chemicals, steel, and shipbuilding.1 However, one of the largest economies in the world by GDP was not always such an economic powerhouse. How exactly was South Korea able to rapidly grow their economy […]