RBAC Inc., Energy Market Simulation Systems

Can Vietnam Make the Coal-to-Gas Switch?

Vietnam’s Power Crisis Last year brought particularly persistent blackouts to Vietnam, especially in the North, where the streets were darkened as the country faced a power crisis brought on by shortfalls in power generation and higher demand during intense heatwaves. The country is heavily reliant on coal and hydropower for electricity generation, but the blistering […]

Spain’s Role as a Natural Gas Importer and Re-Exporter

How Spain Uses Natural Gas Europe is one of the most important markets in terms of natural gas and is home to some of the largest consumers of the fuel in the world. Despite domestic demand falling slightly in recent years, Spain remains both one of the top consumers and importers in the region. Spain […]

China’s LNG Surge: Surpasses Japan as Top LNG Importer

China’s lockdown finally eased at the end of 2022 enabling economic activity to return and become more frequent in 2023. China’s natural gas consumption grew by nearly 8% in 2023, close to the pre-pandemic level of 9% growth in 2019. With the recovery of domestic gas demand, China’s LNG imports in 2023 increased by 18% […]

Natural Gas Markets are Getting the “Shoulder” Early this Year

Much press has been given recently to the fall in natural gas prices from January 2024 to February 2024 and conjectures abound as to what that bodes for the rest of what is now essentially “shoulder” season.  “Shoulder Season” has long been referred to as the lull period between winter space heating demand and summer […]

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 […]