SINGAPORE, June 18, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Prices of liquefied natural gas (LNG) for July delivery to Asia fell 0.6% to $14.485 per million British thermal units (/MMBtu), as spot demand remained scarce even as the region entered summer peak demand season, according to the latest monthly report on Platts Japan/Korea Marker (JKM) for month-ahead delivery. The monthly average of Platts JKM for delivery in July was assessed over the period of May 16 to June 14.

This decline followed a 5.8% drop in prices for June delivery and marked the fourth consecutive month-over-month drop in spot LNG prices. Spot demand showed little signs of recovering, as higher-than-average May temperatures in Japan and South Korea failed to draw buyers back to the market. Ample stockpiles and increased reliance on inventory from long-term contracts covered requirements and continued to suppress spot demand.

"As North Asia entered the summer strong-demand season, tightness of supply due to the closure of Norway's Hammerfest LNG and a force majeure on gas supplies feeding into Nigeria's Bonny terminal did little to buoy prices and buyers remained bearish on spot cargo prices," said Sarah Cottle, global editorial director, power, for Platts, a leading global energy, petrochemicals and metals information provider and a premier source of benchmark price references. "Also, despite the warmer-than-average temperatures in Japan and Korea, buyers in those regions remained confident that pre-existing long-term supply contracts would cover the bulk of their summer requirements."

On a year-over-year basis, the July Platts JKM was down 19.5% from the 2012 July-delivery level of $18.000/MMBtu.

The month-ahead spot prices were mixed for thermal coal and fuel oil, which Asian utilities can use as substitutes for LNG. Thermal coal prices dropped 0.1%, while fuel oil rose 0.5%, respectively, according the Platts' latest month-over-month data for July.

    Platts Spot JKM and Substitute Fuel Prices (Monthly Averages)*

                                                                                    July-13         July-12                June-13        Year-Over-Year          Month-Over-Month
                                                                                                                                                         Change %                  Change %

    JKM ($/MMBtu)                                                                           14.485                  18.000         14.565                 -19.5                       -0.6

    Qinhuangdao coal ($/MMBtu)                                                                4.03                    5.18           4.04                 -22.1                       -0.1

    180 CST fuel oil ($/MMBtu)                                                               15.73                   16.17          15.65                  -2.7                        0.5

    Source: Platts



    *Referred to as month-ahead, the figures in the table are monthly averages of daily values assessed by Platts from
    May 16th to June 14th.  The Platts JKM rolls on the 16th of each calendar month

The Platts JKM is an assessment of LNG prices for spot cargoes delivered to Japan and South Korea, based on the most recent trades and/or bids and offers from buyers and sellers in the open market prevailing at the close of the trading day. The monthly JKM assessments are month-ahead delivered prices and are an average of the daily JKM price assessments reported by Platts.

For more information on natural gas or the methodology used by Platts in its power assessment processes, visit the Platts website www.platts.com.

Platts' monthly reports on Asia LNG prices and market developments are typically published shortly after the 15(th) of each month.

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SOURCE Platts

SOURCE: Platts