HOUSTON, June 16, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- S&P Global Platts, the leading independent provider of information and benchmark prices for the commodities and energy markets, today launched the Platts LNG Gulf Coast Marker (GCM), a price assessment reflecting the daily export value of liquefied natural gas (LNG) traded free on board (FOB) from the U.S. Gulf Coast, in the international spot market.

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"The LNG market is undergoing a sea change and we're pleased to remain at the forefront of serving this burgeoning energy sector with independent global and regional price references," said Shelley Kerr, S&P Global Platts editorial director of LNG. "Our long track record of matching the appropriate price assessment methodology to each commodity based on its characteristics has kept us a must have for the industry's energy pricing needs."

The natural gas infrastructure that intersects the United States, Mexico and Canada is the world's largest and most integrated natural gas market and by 2020, the Americas is expected to be the world's third largest producer of LNG, behind Australia and Qatar.

"LNG in the Americas is positioned to play a unique role in world markets because of the flexibility it brings to a market otherwise dominated by destination clauses which restrict trade," said Chris Pedersen, S&P Global Platts North American LNG analyst. "Think of a U.S. LNG terminal as a bridge that is simply charging users a fee to use its infrastructure. The optionality, transparency and freedom of a U.S. LNG cargo are nearly unparalleled in global markets. Therefore, financial markets, traders and others will have real opportunities to participate in this emerging spot market."

The Platts LNG Gulf Coast Marker reflects bids, offers and transactions on an FOB U.S. basis, normalized to the U.S. Gulf Coast, as determined by buyers and sellers in the open markets and expressed in U.S.$/million British thermal units (MMBtu). The assessment values lean and rich gas cargoes of 135,000-175,000 cubic meters. For full details of the robust methodology, visit this methodology and specifications link.

The launch of this new price reference follows months of consultation with the LNG industry, market participants and other stakeholders and it complements the Asia LNG benchmark Platts JKM(TM), the world's first independent daily LNG price assessment, and Platts' broader suite of LNG price references serving the Middle East, Australia, West India, Brazil, and Southwest and Northwest Europe.

In conjunction with the Platts LNG GCM assessment launch, S&P Global Platts also launched a suite of freight route cost assessments reflecting the spot value of freight from the U.S. Gulf to consumer markets worldwide, which will facilitate the calculation of spreads and netback values.

S&P Global Platts LNG price references are published in Platts LNG Daily, the first daily independent news publication for the global LNG industry, and LNG Navigator, a fully customizable analysis and data platform.

For more information on LNG and natural gas, visit the S&P Global Platts website www.platts.com.

Contact
Americas: Kathleen Tanzy, + 1 917 331 4607, kathleen.tanzy@platts.com

About S&P Global Platts
At S&P Global Platts, we provide the insights; you make better informed trading and business decisions with confidence. We're the leading independent provider of information and benchmark prices for the commodities and energy markets. Customers in over 150 countries look to our expertise in news, pricing and analytics to deliver greater transparency and efficiency to markets. S&P Global Platts coverage includes oil and gas, power, petrochemicals, metals, agriculture and shipping.

S&P Global Platts is a division of S&P Global (NYSE: SPGI), which provides essential intelligence for individuals, companies and governments to make decisions with confidence. For more information, visit www.platts.com.

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SOURCE S&P Global Platts

SOURCE: S&P Global Platts