欧洲天然气储存量达到创纪录水平

中国石化新闻网讯 据烃加工新闻3月25日消息称，欧洲天然气总库存(AGSI+)数据显示，截至2020年3月1日，欧洲天然气库存已满60%，为3月初有记录以来的最高水平。欧洲在2020年1月和2月的库存水平是这两个月有记录以来的最高水平。欧洲储存的高水平天然气是由于暖冬限制了冬季取暖需求，以及通过管道和液化天然气进口的增长。

欧洲各地相对温和的冬季天气——尤其是在天然气采暖更为普遍的北欧——降低了住宅和商业供暖的需求。结果，天然气从储存中的提取量低于平均水平，导致1月和2月的库存水平创历史新高。

天然气库存高企，部分原因是2019年通过管道和以液化天然气形式向欧洲输送的天然气数量达到创纪录水平。2012年至2018年年中，欧洲的液化天然气进口量相对较低，但在2019年大幅增加，平均每天110亿立方英尺，几乎是前两年进口量的两倍。在2019年12月和2020年2月，液化天然气进口创下了140亿立方英尺/天的月度纪录(不包括再出口，即一个国家进口然后出口液化天然气)，这意味着整个欧洲的再气化产能利用率接近60%。

与2018年相比，俄罗斯和美国去年分别向欧洲增加了约14亿立方英尺/天和15亿立方英尺/天的液化天然气出口。自2019年11月以来，美国一直是欧洲最大的液化天然气供应国，而在2020年2月，从美国进口的液化天然气达到了创纪录的51亿立方英尺/天，几乎是欧洲第二大供应国卡塔尔的两倍。

近年来，欧洲管道的进口能力有所增加，包括阿塞拜疆的跨安那托利亚管道。进入欧洲市场的其他供应来源今年也开始投入使用。

欧洲天然气价格在2019年处于相对较低的水平，并将在2020年继续保持这一水平。

曹海斌 摘译自 烃加工新闻

原文如下：

European natural gas storage inventories at record levels

European natural gas storage inventories as of 1 March 2020, were 60% full – the highest ever recorded level for the start of March, according to Gas Storage Europe’s Aggregated Gas Storage Inventory (AGSI+). European stock levels for both January and February 2020 were the highest ever recorded for those months. Europe’s high levels of natural gas in storage are the result of a mild winter, which limited winter heating demand, and growing natural gas imports by pipeline and as LNG.

Relatively mild winter weather across Europe – and especially in northern Europe, where natural gas heating is more common – reduced demand for residential and commercial heating. As a result, natural gas withdrawals from storage were lower than average, resulting in record-high January and February inventory levels.

High natural gas stocks were partly the result of record-high deliveries to Europe both by pipeline and as LNG in 2019. LNG imports into Europe had been relatively low between 2012 and mid-2018, but they increased substantially in 2019, averaging 11 billion ft3/d or almost twice the volume in the two previous years. LNG imports set monthly records of 14 billion ft3/d in December 2019 and February 2020 (excluding re-exports, where a country imports and then exports LNG), implying a Europe-wide regasification capacity utilisation of almost 60%.

Russia and the US increased LNG exports to Europe last year by an estimated 1.4 billion ft3/d and 1.5 billion ft3/d, respectively, compared with 2018. The US has been the largest LNG supplier to Europe since November 2019, and in February 2020, LNG imports from the United States reached a new record high at 5.1 billion ft3/d – nearly double the volume of Europe’s second-largest supplier, Qatar.

European pipeline import capacity has increased in recent years, including the Trans-Anatolian Pipeline from Azerbaijan. Additional sources of supply into the European market are entering service this year.

European natural gas prices were at relatively low levels in 2019 and continue at those levels so far in 2020.