LNG Attacked With Myth-Information Even When BC LNG is the Cleanest in the World

By Don Maclachlan

By Resource Works
More News and Views From Resource Works Here

Tireless, if tiresome, greens are on the bore-path again, attacking BC and Canadian liquefied natural gas projects with dubious information.

First comes the latest line, that the world faces a glut of LNG production that will push world prices down, thus damaging LNG Canada and endangering the future of the Woodfibre LNG and Ksi Lisims LNG projects in BC.

One such headline: “The world has too much LNG—so why is Canada fast-tracking more?” And the story adds “Trends in global gas markets are flashing warning signs and pointing to mounting risks for Canada’s LNG strategy.”

Now, it’s true that new LNG output coming online between 2026 and 2029 has raised the issue of over-supply, a glut that could depress prices.

But professional market watchers see lower prices as actually increasing demand.

In its latest outlook, the International Energy Agency (IEA) expects the rate of global supply growth to accelerate in 2026 to more than 7%, its fastest pace since 2019.

But the IEA adds that resulting price reduction for LNG is set to “incentivize additional demand in price-sensitive consumers, especially in the fast-growing energy markets in Asia.”

And the IEA projects that future global electricity demand, and its need for natural gas,  will outpace previous expectations, driven by data centres, cooling, and industrial electrification.

LNG shortage by 2030

To support that we now have QatarEnergy’s CEO, Saad al-Kaabi, saying growing electricity demand from AI and data centres, along with rising LNG use in Asia and European needs for gas, could turn the anticipated LNG supply glut into a real shortage by 2030.

Shell CEO Wael Sawan sees over-all LNG world LNG demand going up 45-55% by 2040.

And Prime Minister Mark Carney says Canada will export 50 million tonnes per year by 2030, all destined for Asian markets.

The other recent green attack on Canadian LNG is the old tale that “LNG is bad for the climate.” And: “LNG emits about as much greenhouse gas (GHG) as coal.”

Such attacks often cite a US university study whose author insists that “LNG has a larger greenhouse gas footprint than any other fuel.” He cites “fugitive emissions” — leaks of methane during processing and transportation

But that study has been much and rightly challenged, and other studies find that LNG really is cleaner than burning coal for power generation.

And the BC-based First Nations Natural Gas Alliance adds: “Our BC liquefied natural gas is and will be even cleaner than any LNG tested in the studies.”

LNG means fewer emissions

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the United Nations body for assessing the science related to climate change, says natural-gas power produces 50% fewer emissions than coal power — even when fugitive methane emissions from natural gas are taken into account.

The IEA says that, globally, on average, LNG results in about 25% less emissions than coal, and that new technology can cut LNG emissions by 60%.

A study by Rystad Energy: “Natural gas that is produced and liquified in the US and shipped to Asia on return journeys of about 23,000 miles could emit up to 50% less than even the cleanest coal power plants.”

The Asia Natural Gas and Energy Association finds the average lifecycle carbon intensity for LNG from Australia, the U.S., and Qatar and used for electricity production in three Asian countries was 47% lower than for coal.

And Miami University Ohio reported that greenhouse-gas emissions (in the U.S.) dropped 7.5% annually as companies swapped coal for natural gas.

BC LNG: A Clean Leader

LNG Canada says its project at Kitimat BC emits less than half the greenhouse gas emissions of the average LNG facility currently in operation.

Woodfibre LNG aims to be a net zero emitter by 2027 – 23 years ahead of government net-zero regulation. It also aims to become the first LNG facility in the world to achieve net zero emissions.

The Haisla Nation’s Cedar LNG project, which is under construction, says: “Cedar LNG will be one of the lowest carbon intensity LNG facilities in the world. It will contribute to the displacement of coal as an energy source in Asia . . . contributing to lower overall global emissions.”

And the Nisga’a Nation’s Ksi Lisims LNG project not only promises low emissions but also aims to have net-zero emissions by 2030.

The world burns over one million tons of coal every hour, and the IEA predicts demand will stay close to that level through 2027, and it says coal accounts for about 45% of global emissions from fuel combustion.

Canadian LNG developers have long talked about their LNG replacing coal overseas. Opponents say there is no evidence that our new and limited LNG exports are replacing coal, and that China, for one, commissioned more than 50 large coal-for-power operations in 2025.

But in this the pricing of LNG plays a role. If prices do fall in the expected glut, then look for more use of it, instead of coal, to generate electricity.

(By the way, three provinces still burn coal to generate some of their electricity: Saskatchewan, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick. All say their coal-burning will be slowly phased out.)

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