Climate | ‘We Hear You, Mr. President’: The World Lines Up to Buy American Gas
Advertisement
SKIP ADVERTISEMENT
You have a preview view of this article while we are checking your access. When we have confirmed access, the full article content will load.
Facing Trump tariff threats, governments and companies are proposing major investments in American liquefied natural gas projects.
Employees at a gas export facility in Louisiana awaited a visit from Chris Wright, the new U.S. energy secretary, earlier this month. Credit… Jack Brook/Associated Press March 13, 2025
President Trump’s cabinet has been busy rolling back regulations that will make it far easier to extract and produce fossil fuels. But who will buy them?
Nearly everyone, it turns out, particularly under the threat of tariffs.
At an annual energy-industry conference in Houston, executives spoke openly about how companies from around the world are seeking to buy American liquefied natural gas as a way of placating Mr. Trump’s demands to either balance trade or face punitive measures.
Nations with a trade imbalance with the U.S. are “all asking themselves, ‘What can we do to try to level the playing field?’” said Meg O’Neill, chief executive of Woodside Energy, Australia’s biggest oil and gas company.
They are cutting deals now, she said, in large part “so their government can say, ‘We’re taking action. We hear you, Mr. President.’” Her characterization was echoed by Ryan Lance, chief executive at ConocoPhillips, one of the largest U.S. oil and gas producers, and other speakers at the conference, known as CERAWeek by S&P Global.
Since President Trump took office, oil and gas companies from nearly every continent have dangled the possibility of investing billions of dollars in the United States.
This month Japanese, Taiwanese and Korean companies revived a $44 billion idea — long considered all but financially impossible — to build pipelines and a giant terminal in Alaska that would export natural gas to Asia. Ukraine, eager to preserve its weapons supply from Washington, has signaled it will buy more American gas. South Africa, its aid frozen by Mr. Trump, is trying to cut a deal to expand U.S. companies’ drilling rights in its waters.
Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.
Thank you for your patience while we verify access.
Already a subscriber? Log in.
Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Advertisement
SKIP ADVERTISEMENT
