QUELS SONT LES RISQUES ASSOCIÉS AU DÉVELOPPEMENT DU GAZ NATUREL LIQUÉFIÉ (GNL) ?

The document outlines the environmental and economic dangers of expanding liquefied natural gas (LNG) infrastructure. It highlights that the LNG process is energy-intensive and prone to methane leaks, with US-sourced LNG potentially having a carbon footprint 28% higher than coal. Financially, the report warns of severe overcapacity in Europe, where import capacity may reach 400 billion m3 by 2030 despite a projected demand of only 150-190 billion m3, leading to a high risk of stranded assets in countries such as France, Germany, and Italy. It concludes that conversion to hydrogen or biomethane is largely technically and economically unfeasible, urging financial actors to cease all support for gas expansion.

• The LNG value chain is energy-intensive and prone to methane leaks, which can negate the perceived climate benefits of switching from coal. Specifically, liquefaction plants use approximately 10% of the gas delivered for their own operations. LNG produced via hydraulic fracturing in the United States may have a carbon footprint roughly 28% higher than that of coal.
• There is a significant risk of LNG infrastructure becoming stranded assets due to projected overcapacity. In Europe, import capacity is expected to exceed 400 billion m3 by 2030, while demand is projected to be between 150 billion m3 (per IEEFA) and 190 billion m3 (per S&P Global Commodity Insights). The average utilization rate for EU import terminals fell from 63% in 2022 to 58.5% in 2023, with IEEFA forecasting a drop to 36% by 2030.
• Financial viability for new LNG projects is low; under the IEA's Announced Pledges Scenario (APS), two-thirds of LNG projects currently under construction risk not recovering their initial investment, a figure that rises to three-quarters under the Net Zero Emissions (NZE) scenario.
• The possibility of converting LNG infrastructure to carry biomethane, LPG, or hydrogen is largely overestimated due to technical and economic constraints. The only potential exception is the conversion of certain long-distance pipelines and long-term storage sites for hydrogen use in "hard-to-abate" sectors.

APA

Reclaim Finance (n.d.). QUELS SONT LES RISQUES ASSOCIÉS AU DÉVELOPPEMENT DU GAZ NATUREL LIQUÉFIÉ (GNL) ? https://reclaimfinance.org/site/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/RisquesGNL_FR.pdf

Chicago

Reclaim Finance. QUELS SONT LES RISQUES ASSOCIÉS AU DÉVELOPPEMENT DU GAZ NATUREL LIQUÉFIÉ (GNL) ? n.d. https://reclaimfinance.org/site/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/RisquesGNL_FR.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Reclaim Finance |title=QUELS SONT LES RISQUES ASSOCIÉS AU DÉVELOPPEMENT DU GAZ NATUREL LIQUÉFIÉ (GNL) ? |url=https://reclaimfinance.org/site/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/RisquesGNL_FR.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{reclaimfinancendquels, author = {{Reclaim Finance}}, title = {{QUELS SONT LES RISQUES ASSOCIÉS AU DÉVELOPPEMENT DU GAZ NATUREL LIQUÉFIÉ (GNL) ?}}, institution = {Reclaim Finance}, url = {https://reclaimfinance.org/site/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/RisquesGNL_FR.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }