US natural gas will soon be exported to Asian markets in the form of LNG, and while this represents a major step change in global gas trade, US volumes alone will not solve the region’s gas demand challenges. This is one of the points IEA Executive Director Maria Van der Hoeven made today in remarks delivered to the Singapore Energy Week audience.

“There is one thing that Asia cannot count on: cheap, abundant gas unleashed by the shale gas revolution. While some North American LNG will cross the Pacific – probably sooner than later – it will not be enough to supply the entire region and it will be expensive.” – Van der Hoeven

Van der Hoeven went on to say that Asian gas consumers can avoid competing at top price for gas in two ways – find more and use less. And she touted the importance of energy efficiency worldwide by proclaiming, “the most valuable energy is the energy that isn’t used at all.”