FINWIRES · TerminalLIVE
FINWIRES

US Natural Gas Prices Rise for 3rd Straight Week on Bullish Storage, Weather Momentum

By

US natural gas prices ended their third consecutive week in the green, amid a bullish storage build and weather-related momentum, which kept prices elevated.

In the futures market, the Nymex front-month contract ended the week at $2.88 per million British thermal units on Friday, up from $2.76/MMBtu on Aug. 21.

Natural gas spot prices declined to $2.81/MMBtu on Wednesday, down $0.13/MMBtu, according to the US Energy Information Administration's Weekly Gas Storage Supplement, released on Thursday.

This comes amid varying regional temperatures across the country. Above-average temperatures in Texas and the Southeast were largely offset by cooler weather across the Mid-Continent and Northeast regions, leading total demand to decline by 3.6 billion cubic feet per day, according to data from S&P Global.

Total natural gas supplies also declined by 0.9 Bcf/d, or 1%, during the week, along with Canadian imports by 0.4 Bcf/d, or 8%, while gas production dropped 0.4 Bcf/d, or less than 1%.

US LNG export feedgas flows remained subdued, hovering around 17 Bcf/d for much of the week, before spiking to 19.54 Bcf/d on Thursday, significantly ahead of the 30-day moving average of 17.97 Bcf, according to the Bloomberg LNG Feedgas Model.

The net injection into storage for the week ended Aug. 21 was 15 Bcf, modestly below last week's 16 Bcf build, bringing total gas inventories to 3,184 Bcf, according to weekly EIA inventory data.

It came in below forecasts for a 19 Bcf injection, the prior year's 18 Bcf, and the five-year average for this period at 33 Bcf, according to data compiled by Investing.com, making it a fairly bullish storage build.

Regional storage figures were mixed, with the East, Midwest and Mountain regions reporting net injections of 19 Bcf, 18 Bcf and 1 Bcf, respectively. Inventories across the East and Midwest were 3% and 5% above their respective year-ago levels, while the Mountain region was 6% lower.

Meanwhile, South Central, Pacific and the Salt regions reported net withdrawals of 19 Bcf, 3 Bcf and 20 Bcf, respectively, during the week.

At 3,184 Bcf, total US working gas in storage was 30 Bcf, or 1% below the same period last year, but 167 Bcf, or 6% above the five-year average for this period.

Pinebrook Energy Advisors noted that inventories were "still sitting at healthy levels," while domestic output continued to show signs of growth, capping any significant upside momentum in the near-term, or into the upcoming winter season.

Meanwhile, the US gas rig count was up by five, from 127 to 132 in the week ending Aug. 28, according to data from Baker Hughes (BKR) released Friday. That compared with 119 gas rigs in operation a year earlier.

The consolidated North American rig count, a key early indicator of future production levels, dropped by five to 799 from 804 the previous week.

A total of 31 LNG carriers departed US ports during the week, down three from the prior week, with a total combined capacity of 117 Bcf, down 12 Bcf from last week.

In international markets, European TTF gas prices averaged $22.70/MMBtu for the week ended Aug. 26, $1.59/MMBtu above the prior week. Meanwhile, the Japan-Korea Marker averaged $23.07/MMBtu, about $1.47/MMBtu above the prior week.

Related Articles

Commodities

US Natural Gas Update: Prices Move Up on Hotter September Forecasts

US natural gas prices backed off earlier highs in after-hours trading Thursday but stayed in positive territory as forecasts for hotter weather pointed to potentially stronger demand from power generators to fuel increased air-conditioning use and a smaller-than-expected inventory build.The front-month October Henry Hub contract and the continuous contract rose by 1.08% to $2.905 per million British thermal units.The September 2026 NYMEX contract expired Thursday afternoon at $2.907/MMBtu, its highest daily settlement since moving to the front of the curve last month, the Energy Buyers' Guide said. The settlement marked the highest September expiration since 2022 and the first contract since March to expire at a higher price than the corresponding 2025 contract, it said.The October and continuous contracts were supported by forecasts for record-high temperatures across the Southwest through the weekend and by Commodity Weather Group forecasts calling for above-average temperatures across nearly the entire US from Sept. 1-10, Barchart said.Criterion also said the Lower 48 weather outlook had shifted warmer, with temperatures rising 2.1 degrees Fahrenheit over the forecast period. The largest upward revisions were concentrated in the 11-15-day period, particularly across the Midwest, adding to expectations for stronger late-summer cooling demand, Aegis Hedging said.Traders were also monitoring Tropical Storm Dolly, which was off the coast of northern South America and expected to reach the vicinity of Puerto Rico on Sunday.Lower-48 state gas demand was 80.1 Bcf/d on Thursday, up 11.5% from a year earlier, Barchart said, citing BNEF data. US gas-fired power demand, however, remains below 2024 levels so far this year as renewables gain market share, the Energy Information Administration said. Gas accounted for 38.4% of total power generation in the first half of 2026, down from 38.5% in the first half of 2025 and 41.3% in the first half of 2024.On the supply side, US Lower-48 dry gas production remained strong at 112.6 Bcf/d Thursday, up 3.8% year over year, according to Barchart.Prices also drew support from a smaller-than-expected weekly storage build. US natural gas inventories rose by 15 Bcf in the week ended Aug. 21, versus expectations as high as 27 Bcf and well below the five-year average build of 33 Bcf for the week.EIA projected US natural gas inventories would reach 3,985 Bcf at the end of October, the highest level in 10 years and 5% above the five-year average. Inventories are currently 6.7% above their five-year seasonal average, underscoring supply strength.Estimated LNG feedgas flows were 19.5 Bcf/d Thursday, up 11.6% from a week earlier, according to BNEF. Freeport LNG accounted for much of the increase in feedgas demand as maintenance work appeared to be winding down. The facility nominated 2.1 Bcf/d Thursday morning, lifting total Lower-48 feedgas demand to 19.4 Bcf/d, Aegis said.LNG production declined last week as lower output at the Corpus Christi export terminal more than offset gains at several other facilities, UBS strategists said Wednesday. Weekly production at Corpus Christi fell to 2,720 MMcf/d from 3,355 MMcf/d a week earlier and 3,147 MMcf/d a month earlier. UBS said.Total LNG production for the week averaged 15,740 million cubic feet per day during the week, down from 16,142 MMcf/d a week earlier but slightly above the 15,693 MMcf/d recorded a month earlier, UBS analysts said.

Commodities

US Power Update: Power Markets Mostly Higher as Natural Gas Leads Generation Mix

US wholesale electricity markets were mostly higher Thursday afternoon, with natural gas leading the generation mix across six of the eight markets, according to data from GridStatus.io.Electric Reliability Council of Texas' real-time locational marginal price stood at $23.20 per megawatt-hour at 4 p.m. ET. Net load was 51.61 gigawatts, with natural gas making up the largest share of the generation mix at 41.8%.California Independent System Operator's real-time LMP came to $108.83/MWh at 4 p.m. ET. Net load stood at 22.8 GW, with natural gas representing the largest share of the generation mix at 46.5%. Prices climbed to an intraday high of $123.89/MWh at 3:55 p.m. ET.Southwest Power Pool's real-time LMP was $39.30/MWh at 4 p.m. ET. Net load reached 47.43 GW, while natural gas held the largest portion of the generation mix at 47.7%. Prices reached an intraday high of $238.03/MWh at 10:20 a.m. ET.PJM Interconnection's real-time LMP stood at $43.86/MWh at 4 p.m. ET. Net load came to 118.43 GW, with natural gas providing the largest share of the generation mix at 46%. Prices rose to an intraday high of $258.55/MWh at 4:40 p.m. ET.Midcontinent ISO's real-time LMP was $35.63/MWh at 4 p.m. ET. Net load reached 84.2 GW, with natural gas accounting for the largest portion of the generation mix at 33.5%. Prices hit an intraday high of $133.19/MWh at 7:15 a.m. ET.New York ISO's real-time LMP came to $42.10/MWh at 4 p.m. ET. Net load stood at 20.07 GW, with dual-fuel sources accounting for the largest share of the generation mix at 28.9%.ISO New England's real-time LMP was $68.08/MWh at 4 p.m. ET. Net load totaled 15.55 GW, with natural gas supplying the largest share of the generation mix at 56.8%.Independent Electricity System Operator's real-time LMP stood at $49.61/MWh at 4 p.m. ET. Net load was 19.04 GW at 3:55 p.m. ET, with nuclear accounting for the largest share of the generation mix at 38.2%. Prices rose to an intraday high of $121.44/MWh at 8:50 a.m. ET.The National Weather Service's Climate Prediction Center forecasts above-normal temperatures across much of the central and eastern US from Sep. 4 to Sep. 10, with below-normal to near-normal readings across much of the West.

Commodities

Thailand LNG Demand Forecast Raised as Stronger Power Use Tightens Gas Balance, Kpler Says

Thailand's stronger power demand is tightening its gas balance and lifting LNG needs, with Kpler raising its 2026 and 2027 demand forecasts, it said in a note on Thursday.Thailand's total gas demand rose 0.54 billion cubic meters over the year, to 4.35 Bcm in June, according to Energy Policy and Planning Office data cited by Kpler.Gas use for power generation increased 0.46 Bcm over the year to 2.79 Bcm, accounting for about 85% of the overall annual increase in gas demand.Cooling demand reached 358 degree-days in June, about 10 degree-days above the five-year seasonal average, while electricity generation increased 1.3 terawatt-hours over the year.Coal-fired generation fell 1.0 TWh over the year to 2.1 TWh, while electricity imports declined 0.5 TWh to 3.1 TWh, according to Kpler.Gas-fired generation rose by 2.5 TWh over the year to 12.8 TWh, as lower coal output and higher electricity imports increased Thailand's reliance on gas-fired power.Domestic gas production increased only 0.14 Bcm over the year to 2.64 Bcm, while pipeline imports from Myanmar fell 0.04 Bcm to 0.35 Bcm, Kpler said.The combined 0.10 Bcm supply increase covered less than one-fifth of the 0.54 Bcm rise in demand, leaving LNG to meet most of the shortfall.Thailand's implied LNG balancing requirement therefore increased by about 0.44 Bcm over the year in June, Kpler said.Kpler expects Thailand's gas supply to remain broadly stable through 2027, with limited domestic production growth leaving incremental power-sector demand more dependent on LNG.The firm raised its 2026 Thailand LNG demand forecast by about 0.2 million tons to 11.9 million tons, with most of the increase concentrated in August and September.The 2026 forecast increase equals about one additional standard LNG cargo in each of August and September, while smaller Q4 revisions add roughly one cargo across the quarter.Kpler said stronger late-third-quarter demand should increase Thailand's need for prompt LNG cargoes and provide some support to Asian spot LNG prices, although smaller revisions limit the upside.Kpler also raised its 2027 Thailand LNG demand forecast by 0.1 million tons to 13.5 million tons, as stable domestic output and limited pipeline flexibility keep LNG as the key balancing source.