WHEN? WHERE? HOW MUCH?

Questions abound about LNG, and the answers will be critical to the North American gas market

Last month's massive LNG-related explosion in Algeria was a blow to the public image of the entire industry. However, speakers at a recent LNG conference in Houston said the incident should not

On Jan. 19, a blast at an LNG export plant at Skikda killed at least 23 people, according to reports. Speakers at last week's conference echoed the initial reports from the scene that the explosion appeared to have been triggered by a steam boiler explosion. U.S. LNG receiving terminals do not contain such boilers, nor do the proposals for new terminals, said Sara Banaszak, director of the gas and power group for PFC Energy, a Washington-based consulting group.

The U.S. has an opportunity now to illustrate to the public the differences in safety standards here compared with elsewhere in the world, but it would have to move quickly to do that effectively, Banaszak said.