MOSCOW, June 30. /TASS/. Shell expects global demand for liquefied natural gas (LNG) to increase by 65% by 2050, reaching around 700 mln metric tons per year, according to the company's outlook for the LNG market.

In its previous forecast issued a year earlier, the company had projected that global demand for LNG could rise to 630-718 mln metric tons per year as early as 2040.

"Global demand for LNG is expected to rise to nearly 700 mln metric tons a year by 2050, approximately 65% higher than in 2025, as countries continue to prioritize the flexible and reliable energy security provided by gas and LNG," the report said.

By 2030, around 180 mln metric tons per year of new LNG supply will come to market, improving gas availability and stimulating demand in new markets, Shell noted.

"However, the ability to capitalize on new supplies will depend on the availability of infrastructure in importing countries, including regasification capacity and pipeline connections, particularly in South and Southeast Asia. These regions are projected to account for around 40% of global LNG imports by 2050, helping to meet rapidly growing energy demand with lower emissions compared with coal. In more developed Asian markets, such as Japan, data centers are becoming a new source of electricity demand," the report emphasized.

However, the company believes that meeting growing gas demand will require significant additional investment in liquefaction facilities during the 2030-2040 period, amounting to 200 mln metric tons per year of new supply capacity in addition to projects already under construction.