Natural gas markets are changing at a rapid pace, moving from regional integration to a more globalised and interdependent market. This transformation is creating new security-related concerns, which remain alive despite the current state of oversupply in the gas market.

The International Energy Agency’s second annual Global Gas Security Review offers an extensive assessment of recent gas balancing issues and related policy developments linked to security of supply, as well as lessons learned from recent events.

This year’s edition also updates the liquefied natural gas (LNG) flexibility metrics that were developed in last year’s report. Our latest data shows a continuing improvement in supply and contractual flexibility, which are expected to develop in the near future, along with the growing diversification of market participants and a lasting situation of oversupply.

To improve the risk assessment of importing countries, the report introduces a new typology of LNG buyers as a tool to measure market exposure, and related security of supply issues per type of buyer, as well as provides a measure of future LNG market evolution.