The volume of global transactions is expected to reach nearly 700 million tonnes per year, up from 422 million tonnes recorded in 2025. The forward-looking analysis published on June 30, 2026, takes into account the resilience of international trade circuits, which have been reduced by a fifth of the usual monthly LNG supply since the disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz in late February 2026.

South and Southeast Asia are the main drivers of the industry's expansion, accounting for 40% of future global imports to gradually replace coal in power plants. Mature markets, such as Japan, are influenced by the proliferation of data storage infrastructure, which is a significant consumer of electricity. The sector's dynamics include new niches of use, particularly the maritime transport segment, whose LNG fuel consumption will increase sevenfold to reach 27 million tonnes per year by 2035. To meet consumption needs, the industry plans to bring online an additional 180 million tonnes of liquefaction capacity by 2030, complemented by a need for new infrastructure of 200 million tonnes over the next two decades.

The revised outlook opens up major financing opportunities for African producer countries, which have already attracted over $50 billion in direct investment in 2026. Mozambique is at the forefront with the operation of the Coral Sul unit and the planned deployment of Coral Norte in 2028, alongside a tender for a 6 million tonne per annum floating liquefied natural gas (FLNG) unit. Nigeria is consolidating its historical position through the Nigeria LNG plant, while Algeria, with its four terminals in Arzew and Skikda totaling a capacity of 25.3 million tonnes per year, is increasing its delivery volumes in 2026 after a decline to 9.54 million tonnes in 2025 compared to 11.62 million tonnes in 2024.


Ndjomo Carlos

Tags: gnl shell demande mondiale energie industrie asie marches emergents transport maritime infrastructures financement