The Battery Boom Is Becoming Impossible to Ignore

For the past several weeks, I have been working my way through the major findings in the Energy Institute’s 2026 Statistical Review of World Energy. This article concludes that series. For readers who want to catch up, the previous installments are: Energy Demand Outpaced the Transition in 2025 Global Emissions Hit a New Record as U.S. Emissions Rebounded The U.S.

Is Both the World’s Top Oil Producer and Top Consumer The U.S. Supplied 93% of Global LNG Export Growth in 2025 Global Coal Use Hit a Record in 2025, Even as Coal Power Declined…

LNG Market Background

The global LNG market has undergone a structural transformation in recent years, with U.S. exports reshaping trade flows and providing consuming nations with greater supply optionality. European buyers have accelerated long-term LNG contracting following the disruption of Russian pipeline gas supplies.

New LNG liquefaction capacity — from the U.S. Gulf Coast, Qatar's North Field expansion, and Australian projects — is expected to add significant supply volumes through the late 2020s, with implications for long-term contract pricing and spot market dynamics.

What to Watch

Stakeholders will be tracking spot LNG cargo pricing in Asian and European markets, liquefaction plant utilization rates, and upcoming long-term supply contract negotiations as global LNG trade flows continue to evolve.