US natural gas exports to offer hedge against Russia: Rick Perry

Washington D.C. [USA], June 10 (ANI): The United States shipping of Liquefied Natural Gas overseas is an act to confront economic aggression and to decrease Russia's leverage as Europe's dominant gas supplier, said Energy Secretary Rick Perry.

The U.S. on Friday delivered the first-ever shipments of its natural gas to northern Europe - Netherlands and Poland.

The Netherlands and Poland both received this cargo from Cheniere's Sabine Pass LNG export terminal in Louisiana.

Perry said in a statement, that Europe has been looking to the United States as a key potential source for energy diversification to decrease Russia's leverage as the region's dominant gas supplier.

"We have all seen energy used as a political tool to hold countries hostage. And that is an act of economic aggression that needs to be confronted. And one of the most important actions we can take is to use our massive shale gas resources to begin shipping Liquefied Natural Gas overseas," he added.

He vowed that Washington will use its energy resources to advance energy security.

The volumes sent to Poland and the Netherlands follow deliveries to southern Europe, including Italy, Malta, Spain, Portugal and Turkey, he noted.

Spain and Portugal have received multiple cargoes, while "Poland has made it clear that U.S. LNG is critical to its efforts to diversify its sources of natural gas" away from Russia, he said.

Perry announced that so far, five billion cubic feet per day of U.S. LNG has been contracted to European-based companies: ENGIE (France), BG (UK), BP (UK), Endesa (Spain), Iberdrola (Spain), Gas Natural Fenosa (Spain), EDF (France), EDP (Portugal), TOTAL (France), and Centrica (UK).

The U.S. is expected to become the world's third-largest LNG supplier by 2020, he said. (ANI)