液化天然气高出口量和温暖的天气是美国天然气上涨价格的驱动力

自今年年初以来，美国天然气价格飙升了130%以上

目前的价格是五年平均水平的3.3倍

据油价网5月25日消息，周三早些时候，受液化天然气出口量高、天气变暖以及当月合约到期前贸易波动的推动，美国基准天然气价格跃升至每百万英热单位 (MMBtu) 9美元以上。

截至美国东部时间周三上午9：15，美国基准亨利中心的前一个月天然气期货已跃升至9.168美元/百万英热单位，当日上涨4.93%。

六月合约于本周四到期，而期权于周三到期。

由于对液化天然气的强劲需求，尤其是在欧洲，美国天然气价格自年初以来已飙升超过130%。此外，5月初美国的早期热浪提振了对空调和发电的需求，而供应增长却难以赶上需求。此外，根据5月19日EIA发布的最新每周天然气储存报告，本周的工作天然气库存比去年同期水平低17%，比五年平均水平低15% 。

最近几周，创纪录的液化天然气出口和异常高的电力需求共同推动美国天然气价格远高于一年中这个时候的正常水平。而这可能只是开始。分析师表示，春季天气比往常温暖、夏季预计会更热，以及创纪录的液化天然气出口量有助于欧洲减少对大国天然气的依赖，可能会使美国基准天然气价格在未来几周升至10美元/百万英热单位以上。

盛宝银行商品策略主管Ole Hansen周三在推特上表示：“美国天然气价格飙升，天气变热，预计将提振本已强劲的需求，而产量增长有限，以应对这种情况。”

汉森补充说，目前价格是五年平均水平的3.3倍，而欧盟天然气价格是五年平均水平的5.3倍，周三早些时候交易价格处于地缘政治冲突发生之前的水平，库存接近正常水平。

祝精燕 摘译自 油价网

原文如下：

U.S. Natural Gas Prices Hit $9 For The First Time Since 2008

High LNG exports and warmer weather are the driving forces behind the rally in U.S. natural gas.

U.S. natural gas prices have surged by more than 130% since the beginning of the year.

The price is currently 3.3 times above the five-year average.

U.S. benchmark natural gas prices jumped to above $9 per million British thermal units (MMBtu) early on Wednesday, driven by high LNG exports, warmer weather, and volatile trade ahead of the prompt-month contract expiry.

As of 9:15 a.m. EST on Wednesday, the front-month natural gas futures at the Henry Hub, the U.S. benchmark, had jumped to $9.168/MMBtu, up by 4.93% on the day.

The June contract expires on Thursday, while options expire on Wednesday.

U.S. natural gas prices have surged by more than 130% since the beginning of the year, due to strong demand for LNG, especially in Europe, which is scrambling to replace as much gas as soon as possible. In addition, early heat waves in the U.S. at the start of May boosted demand for air conditioning and power generation, while supply growth is struggling to catch up with demand. Moreover, working natural gas stocks are 17% lower than the year-ago level and 15% lower than the five-year average for this week, according to the EIA’s latest Weekly Natural Gas Storage Report released on May 19.

Record LNG exports and unseasonably high demand for electricity have combined in recent weeks to push U.S. gas prices considerably higher than they normally are at this time of the year. And this may only be the beginning. Warmer than usual spring weather, expectations of a hotter summer, and record LNG exports to help Europe reduce dependence on  gas could send the U.S. benchmark natural gas prices to above $10/MMBtu in the coming weeks, analysts say.

“US natgas spikes with hotter weather expected to boost already strong demand with limited production growth to counter,” Ole Hansen, Head of Commodity Strategy at Saxo Bank, tweeted on Wednesday.

The price is currently 3.3 times above the five-year average, while EU gas, at 5.3 times above five-year average, traded early on Wednesday at pre-war levels with stocks closing in on normal levels, Hansen added.