BAKU, Azerbaijan, Apr.12
By Leman Zeynalova - Trend:
The upward trend in total OECD (Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development) production of natural gas reversed for the first time since 2009, experiencing a 2 percent drop compared to 2019, Trend reports citing the International Energy Agency (IEA).
Total production reached 1542 bcm, remaining above total production in 2018.
Total OECD gross deliveries of natural gas also slowed in the growth, experiencing a 2.1 percent decrease in 2020 compared to 2019, and reaching 1789 bcm, which was nevertheless still above 2019 levels. Declines were observed across all OECD regions.
Despite the decrease in gross deliveries, deliveries to power generation continued to grow with a moderate 0.7 percent increase year-on-year for total OECD. This growth was led by the OECD Americas (+2.4 percent) and followed by OECD Asia Oceania (+1.2 percent), while deliveries to power generation declined in OECD Europe (-4.3 percent).
Total OECD imports (entries) of natural gas decreased by 5.2 percent in 2020 compared to 2019. By trade flow, pipeline imports decreased by 6.4 percent while liquefied natural gas (LNG) imports experienced a more moderate drop (-2.0 percent).
The decrease was mainly driven by OECD Europe (-5.6 percent), where pipeline transit between European countries was the main cause of the decrease (-6.2 percent). The OECD Americas (-7.7 percent) and OECD Asia Oceania (-1.9 percent) also experienced an overall decrease in imports, however different flow patterns were observed in each region. The OECD Americas registered a growth of 11.9 percent in LNG imports while OECD Asia Oceania experienced a 2.6 percent decrease in LNG imports, which was slightly offset by an increase in pipeline imports to Australia. Both trends were moderate in absolute terms.
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