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Natural gas has been fuelling industrial and economic growth across developed and developing countries. Its usage is set to increase as it is also being considered as a low-carbon fuel that can help make the transition to a no-to-low-carbon economy. Argus is your irreplaceable source of price information, news, expert analysis and fundamentals data for international natural gas markets.
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Latest natural gas news
Browse the latest market moving news on the global natural gas industry.
Romanian gas demand to rise on higher power-sector use
Romanian gas demand to rise on higher power-sector use
London, 16 December (Argus) — Romanian gas demand is expected to increase next year as a result of new gas-fired power capacity starting up, although the extent of demand growth could be limited by project delays. Romanian gas consumption averaged 257 GWh/d on 1 January-14 December, below full-year 2024 demand of 283 GWh/d, and only slightly above a historic low of 256 GWh/d in 2023 ( see graph ). Romanian industrial users and power generation have accounted for 24pc of gas consumption so far this year, with 76pc coming from residential demand. Romanian gas demand had been increasing until the energy crisis of 2022, supported by growing household grid connections and coal-to-gas switching in power generation. Romania's ability to become net exporter following the commissioning of the Black Sea Neptun Deep field will depend on where domestic consumption stabilises. This will determined by the buildout and utilisation of gas-fired power plants and industrial gas consumption. Romania plans to replace coal-fired power plants with new gas-fired combined-cycle gas turbine (CCGT) plants and cogeneration units, which may support domestic gas needs in the next few years. Romanian gas-fired output has totalled 8.9TWh this year, accounting for 20pc of power generation, down from 10.3TWh for 2024. The country planned to decommission 3,780MW of coal and lignite-fired generation capacity by the end of 2025, before phasing out these fuels from the power mix by 2032. But Romania has renegotiated with the EU to postpone the coal phase-out until the end of 2029 because of slow progress building gas-fired plants. This will ensure the security of the domestic energy system and guarantee the country avoids blackouts during the winter, energy minister Bogdan Ivan said. Under the new schedule, Romania will have 900MW of lignite-fired units operational until the end of 2029. Coal has made up 14pc of the generation mix so far this year, unchanged from a year earlier. Romania has not added any thermal capacity in recent years, but several CCGT units are expected to be commissioned next year. The start-up of the long-awaited 430MW Iernut CCGT — previously expected at the end of this year — has been pushed back to the second quarter of 2026. The 1.75GW Mintia CCGT is due to come on line by the end of next year, while a 53MW gas-fired combined heat and power plant in Constanta, southeast Romania, is scheduled to begin operations by June 2026. An 850MW CCGT plant is also planned at Isalnita. These projects could boost combined power-sector gas demand by over 4bn m³/yr in 2026, Argus estimates, assuming they are running at maximum capacity. But the Isalnita project may struggle to come on line next year, while the other projects could experience further delays. And Romania's reliance on gas for power generation is likely to increase further in the coming years because a 700MW unit at the Cernavoda nuclear plant is scheduled to shut down for modernisation in 2027-29. But Romania has also been expanding renewable capacity, which could limit uptake of gas in power generation. The country added 1.2GW of solar capacity over the first 11 months of 2025, up from 303MW in 2024. Total solar capacity stood just above 3GW at the end of November, while solar output has averaged 327MW so far this year, up by 75MW from 2024. But just 41MW of wind capacity has been added so far this year, down from 69MW in 2024. Azomures' gas demand could rise next year Fertiliser producer Azomures, Romania's largest gas consumer, restarted part of its production in July after 11 months of downtime, and the firm may restart nitrogen production next year in response to an anticipated increase in import prices caused by the EU's Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism and lower natural gas costs, according to a market participant. Romanian industrial output fell by 0.5pc year on year in January-October, the national statistics office said on Monday. The European Commission expects Romanian GDP to grow by 0.7pc this year, 1.1pc in 2026 and 2.1pc in 2027, it said on 17 November. This could support industrial gas demand growth in the coming years. Domestic onshore production is projected to decline towards 2035, but output from Neptun Deep — owned 50:50 by domestic firm Romgaz and Austrian OMV — is scheduled to start in 2027. The project aims to increase the country's gas output to 18bn-20bn m³/yr from 8bn-10bn m³/yr at present, bringing "Romania full import independence and even net-export status from 2027", the government has said. Romgaz has received government approval to assess a potential acquisition of Azomures. Romgaz could provide access to reliable supply, potentially changing the market position of the chemical producer. Assuming Azomures operates at full capacity, Romanian gas consumption could rise by 1.2bn m³/yr, according to grid operator Transgaz ( see table ). By Victoria Dovgal Sources of Romanian gas demand growth bn m³/yr Project Demand 1.75GW Mintia power plant 2.5 850MW Isalnita CCGT 0.8 475MW Turceni CCGT 0.8 430MW Iernut CCGT 1.0 Azomures fertiliser plant 1.2 Piatra-Neamt chemical plant 0.8 Household sector 3.0* * target — Transgaz Romanian gas consumption TWh Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
Australia’s Beetaloo reaches FID on shale gas pilot
Australia’s Beetaloo reaches FID on shale gas pilot
Sydney, 12 December (Argus) — Australian shale gas developer Beetaloo Energy has made a final investment decision to build its 25 TJ/d (668,000 m³/d) Carpentaria pilot project in the Beetaloo subbasin in Australia's Northern Territory (NT), ahead of first gas targeted for mid-2026. Civil construction and upgrade works on the Carpentaria plant have already started, chief executive Alex Underwood said on 11 December, which involves the tie-in of up to 10 wells located in exploration permit 187. The decision comes after the firm this week received NT government approval to sell appraisal gas from Carpentaria. This is the second pilot project to reach FID in the untapped shale gas basin after Tamboran Resources' 40 TJ/d Shenandoah South pilot project, also targeting first appraisal gas in mid-2026. The NT government has agreed to purchase the entirety of gas from both projects via an ex-field take-or-pay basis, to supply government-owned Power and Water Corporation. If the basin's reserves prove economically viable Tamboran is eyeing LNG exports in the longer-term, potentially via Australian independent Santos' Darwin LNG project . By Tom Major Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
German cabinet passes EU RED III
German cabinet passes EU RED III
Hamburg, 10 December (Argus) — The German cabinet on 10 December approved legislation to implement the EU's Renewable Energy Directive (RED III) into national law. This will adjust the greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction quota and abolish double counting of advanced fuels from 2026. But it is unlikely to pass remaining legislative processes in time for the EU's 1 January deadline. The bill passed by the cabinet largely follows a draft dated 29 October that was leaked in November. The overall quota level will rise to 59pc by 2040. Aviation and marine fuels are exempt from the quota obligation. The law will end the eligibility of palm oil products, most notably palm oil mill effluent (Pome), for compliance towards the GHG quota. This exclusion, and a requirement for fuel producers to allow on-site audits, will not come into effect until 2027, leaving 2026 as a transitional year. The end of double counting for advanced biofuels removes a key point of market uncertainty. Under current rules, advanced biofuels can be counted as twice their energy value towards the GHG quota, provided the minimum sub-mandate for advanced fuels has been met. But the change to end double counting will apply to the entire compliance year and all subsequent years, meaning it will be retroactive to 1 January. The only exception is for fuels supplied prior to 1 January 2026. The law will enter into force on the second day after publication in the Federal Law Gazette, with selected sections taking effect a day earlier for procedural reasons. Before that can happen, the bill must be submitted to the Germany's lower and upper parliaments for debate. The lower house's approval is not required, and the upper house could initiate changes. The bill can only be submitted to the Federal President for his signature once the upper house has given approval. This process is likely to conclude in the first quarter of 2026. Changes to sub-quotas, RFNBOs, biomethane The sub-mandate for advanced biofuels, made from feedstocks listed in Annex IX of RED III, will rise to 9pc by 2040. The mandate for renewable fuels of non-biological origin (RFNBOs) — such as e-fuels and green hydrogen — is higher will rise to 2.5pc of an obligated company's energy mix in 2034, and then to 8pc in 2040. The penalty for non-compliance is €120/GJ. Imported biomethane can be counted towards the GHG quota, provided it meets certain conditions, such as a connection to the EU gas grid. The baseline emissions value is 94kg CO2e/GJ, aligned with the rest of the EU. The registration deadline with the main customs office is 1 June. The market for GHG certificates reacted immediately. Other certificates for 2025 are trading around €20/t CO2e higher than the previous day, and prices for 2026 certificates are rising. Prices for 2025 certificates are rising, although they are unaffected by the change. They are seen as a substitute for 2027 certificates because excess 2025 compliance will be carried over. Hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO) could now play a central role in meeting the GHG quota, which can influence certificate prices. Demand for advanced HVO could increase significantly, as it can be counted without limit towards the GHG quota as a blending component and as a pure fuel and can be used in most of the existing diesel vehicle fleet. The end of double counting could increase demand for non-advanced biodiesel grades, such as rapeseed-based RME and used cooking oil-based Ucome. Although the eligibility of these is capped to a certain percentage of a company's energy mix, this limit has not always been fully utilised in the past. by Max Steinhau and Chloe Jardine Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
Australia's Beetaloo gets approval to sell NT shale gas
Australia's Beetaloo gets approval to sell NT shale gas
Sydney, 9 December (Argus) — Australian shale gas developer Beetaloo Energy, formerly Empire Energy, has received Northern Territory (NT) government authorisation to sell appraisal gas from its 25 TJ/d (668,000 m³/d) Carpentaria pilot project in the Beetaloo subbasin. Reconstruction of the 42 TJ/d former Rosalind Park gas plant, bought last year from domestic utility AGL Energy for A$2.5mn ($1.66mn), can now begin, Beetaloo said on 9 December. Carpentaria holds a gas supply agreement with the NT government signed in 2024 but the project is yet to reach a final investment decision. The company previously said it was targeting first gas by mid-2026. A vast, underpopulated region of northern Australia, the NT is hoping to drive a new wave of investment on the back of extensive shale gas reserves, which have yet to be commercially proven. Fellow Beetaloo subbasin developer Tamboran Resources expects first appraisal gas from its 40 TJ/d Shenandoah South pilot project in mid-2026 . The NT hosts the 3.7mn t/yr Santos-operated Darwin LNG terminal and 9.3mn t/yr Ichthys LNG terminal run by Japan's Inpex, which both use offshore-sourced gas as feedstock. By Tom Major Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.