Transportation of pipeline and liquefied natural gas: comparative analysis of pros and cons

Abstract

Today energy supply and energy efficiency are still the most important and relevant issues of lively international discussions. The purpose of this paper is to study the current state of the natural gas market. The primary types of transported hydrocarbon fuels currently presented on the trading floor include natural gas predominantly transported through trunk pipelines, and liquefied natural gas competing with it. The study of this problem involved a comparative analysis of the advantages and disadvantages of liquefied natural gas and pipeline gas transportation for the case of commercial gas shipment from the Russian Federation to the European Union and liquefied natural gas shipment from the United States of America to the European Union. It is important to note that natural gas shipments through the Nord Stream gas pipeline have been completely suspended since September 2022 for an indefinite period of time. As a consequence, it is the American liquefied natural gas that is becoming the main alternative to the pipeline gas from Russia today. An agreement has been formed between the United States and the European Union to supply 15 billion cubic meters of liquefied natural gas in the past 2022. However, the inescapable fact is that daily guaranteed shipment of natural gas is a timely and economically feasible source of energy fuel. Using the rule of guaranteed advantages and disadvantages, the authors identified the most rational and profitable aspects of light hydrocarbon fuel transportation. The conducted study resulted in the analysis of the following indicators: the cost of shipped raw materials, the transportation cost of compared options, and amount of hydrocarbon gas losses during the main technological operations. In addition, the issue of environmental safety of operated facilities was considered.