NEW YORK: US natural gas futures jumped about 7% to a three-week high on Friday at the end of an extremely volatile week of trade on forecasts for much colder weather and higher heating demand in mid-November than previously expected.
The market was focused “on the potential arrival of widespread below-average temperatures across the US around mid-November that will increase demand for gas as heating fuel,” analysts at energy consulting firm Gelber & Associates said in a note.
Futures also gained support from a drop in output so far this month and expectations the Freeport liquefied natural gas (LNG) export plant in Texas would return to service soon, according to traders.
Freeport LNG submitted a draft Root Cause Failure Analysis to the Department of Transportation’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) on Nov. 1, according to sources familiar with the filing. Freeport LNG, however, has not yet submitted a request to resume service.
Freeport LNG said it still expects the 2.1-billion-cubic-feet-per-day (bcfd) export plant to return to at least partial service in early to mid-November following an unexpected shutdown on June 8 caused by a pipeline explosion. At least four vessels were lined up to pick up LNG at Freeport, according to Refinitiv data. Prism Brilliance, Prism Diversity and Prism Courage were waiting off the coast from the plant, and Prism Agility was expected to arrive around Nov. 29.
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