Southeast Asia Leads Region in LNG Demand Growth

Southeast Asia is bucking the trend of declining liquefied natural gas (LNG) demand in the Asia-Pacific region. According to Andrea Stegher, President of the International Gas Union (IGU), population growth and rising living standards are driving energy requirements in the region.

Unlike established markets such as Japan, Korea, and China, several Southeast Asian economies still require additional energy to support development. Demand is also broadening beyond power generation, with industry, road and maritime transport, artificial intelligence, and data centres becoming significant sources of energy requirements.

The outlook for Southeast Asia is shaped by declining domestic gas production in countries such as Malaysia and Indonesia. This has created an opportunity for LNG imports to complement local resources and meet growing demand.