A US technological breakthrough is reshaping the global natural gas market and threatening pricing models thousands of miles away. Three years ago, the US energy department was forecasting the US would become a big net gas importer. Companies specialising in liquefied natural gas rushed to exploit the opportunity. But engineering advances have led to a boom in extracting previously unobtainable gas locked in shale rock, of which the US has lots. Production of such "unconventional" gas is now growing so fast that the energy department forecasts imports will fall as a share of US gas supply. The flow of new gas helped US spot gas prices plunge 80 per cent between early 2008 and this summer.
美国的一项技术突破正在重塑manbetx app苹果 天然气市场的格局，并可能影响到数千英里之外的定价模式。3年前，美国能源部预测，美国将成为天然气净进口大国。液化天然气专营企业蜂拥而至，试图抓住这个机会。但随着工程技术的进步，储藏在页岩层中、以前无法利用的天然气如今已经可以大规模开采，而美国有很多这样的页岩层。此类“非传统”天然气的生产增长十分迅猛，以至于美国能源部再度预测称，美国天然气供应中的进口比例将下降。由于新天然气的流入，从2008年年初至今年夏天，美国现货天然气价格下跌了80%。