Asian LNG imports in August saw a slight decrease on the month with lower-than-expected consumption weighing on regional demand, Platts said.

• Imports were 23.03m mt in August, down from 23.59m mt in July. This came via a total of 350 cargoes.
• However, imports are up around 2% on August 2023.
• China imported the most cargoes, taking 96, followed by Japan at 86 and South Korea at 56.
• China’s LNG imports rose 7% on the month and 3.7% on the year.
• The increase was primarily driven by active purchases from second tier buyers in early July. This coincided with JKM falling to $11.50/MMBtu.
• However, more price-sensitive Chinese end-users have been sitting on the sidelines after JKM prices rose during August due to outages and geopolitical tensions.
• Japanese demand for prompt cargoes may be on the rise amid declining nuclear power and typhoon weather which may delay LNG discharges.