Sources say that the US study is likely to refrain from concluding that LNG exports are not in the public interest.

Two industry sources familiar with the matter said that the administration of President Joe Biden will release a report on Tuesday regarding the export of liquefied gas. The study is not expected to conclude that the trade does not serve the public's interest. Biden halted in January the Department of Energy’s approvals of U.S. LNG imports to major consumers in Asia, Europe and the Middle East in order to allow his administration to study the economic and environmental impacts of this booming industry.

Donald Trump, the president-elect, has stated that he is against this pause and will act quickly to reverse it. Trump's team is preparing to release an energy package in the days following his inauguration on January 20. This will include approving export permits for new LNG project.

The Energy Department didn't immediately respond to an inquiry for comment.

On condition of anonymity, industry sources confirmed that the study will include scenarios warning about the potential price impacts on domestic gas and the environmental impacts of the boom of U.S. LNG imports. Environmentalists, and other parties who wish to use the study in legal proceedings against LNG projects, will find it less useful if the study does not state that exports do not serve the public interest.

Gas and LNG producers had condemned Biden's pause, calling it a stunt during an election year that would undermine the energy security of partners and allies as Europe began to reduce its dependency on Russian gas after Moscow invaded Ukraine.

The administration countered by saying that the pause does not affect super-chilled exports which are expected to double in size at the end of this decade based on already approved shipments. In 2023, the U.S. was the largest LNG exporter in the world. (Reporting and editing by Timothy Gardner)

(source: Reuters)