Days after the introduction of a bill in the U.S. Congress that seeks to accelerate exports of U.S. natural gas, the U.S. Secretary of Energy, Mr. Ernest Moniz was in India to take part in the US-India Energy Dialogues which included discussions on gas imports by India.

Over the past year, surplus production of LNG (liquefied natural gas) in the US has given impetus to the prospect of LNG exports to countries such as India, Ukraine, and Japan. The surplus is largely due to rapid advances in the technology and extraction of shale gas and oil over the past few years.

However the process of exporting LNG is complicated by the fact that U.S. law does not allow exports of LNG to countries with whom it does not have a Free Trade Agreement (FTA), unless with special exceptions. This leaves out important partners like India, which do not have a FTA with the US. It also leaves out Ukraine, a country that U.S. would like to see less dependent on Russian gas.

Tags: US India Political Action Committee (USINPAC)