據(jù)世界石油7月23日?qǐng)?bào)道，由于夏季高溫加劇了對(duì)今年晚些時(shí)候供應(yīng)緊張的擔(dān)憂，美國(guó)天然氣期貨價(jià)格自2018年12月以來(lái)首次飆升至每百萬(wàn)英熱單位4美元。

　　8月交割的天然氣價(jià)格為4.003美元，創(chuàng)下31個(gè)月以來(lái)的最高收盤價(jià)。2022年3月天然氣相對(duì)于4月期貨的溢價(jià)——主要是押注明年冬季結(jié)束時(shí)市場(chǎng)供應(yīng)不足的程度——達(dá)到62.9美分，徘徊在歷史高位附近。

　　由于炎熱的天氣刺激了空調(diào)用電的需求，燃料的價(jià)格在全球范圍內(nèi)飆升。然而，在美國(guó)，對(duì)冬季可能出現(xiàn)的供應(yīng)短缺的擔(dān)憂也支撐了油價(jià)的上漲。冬季，隨著家庭和企業(yè)增加供暖，天然氣消耗達(dá)到峰值。石油儲(chǔ)備已低于今年同期的正常水平，而石油產(chǎn)量增長(zhǎng)也受到抑制，因?yàn)殂@井公司聽從了投資者對(duì)資本紀(jì)律的呼吁。

　　“通常情況下，這種上漲是合理的。這在很大程度上取決于天氣，而且不會(huì)消失，”瑞穗證券期貨部門主管鮑勃·雅格(Bob Yawger)在接受采訪時(shí)說(shuō)，“我們已經(jīng)很久沒有見過(guò)這種熱度了。”

　　下周，酷熱的夏季可能會(huì)將德克薩斯州的電力需求推至接近歷史最高水平，但該州的電網(wǎng)運(yùn)營(yíng)商表示，他們有足夠的電力來(lái)避免停電。美國(guó)國(guó)家氣象局(National Weather Service)表示，達(dá)拉斯的氣溫預(yù)計(jì)最快將在周一飆升至101華氏度(38攝氏度)，今年首次突破100華氏度大關(guān)。

　　出口也加劇了天然氣供應(yīng)緊張。今年5月，美國(guó)液化天然氣出口量首次超過(guò)澳大利亞，因?yàn)槭澜绺鞯氐馁I家繼續(xù)購(gòu)買創(chuàng)紀(jì)錄數(shù)量的超冷燃料。下個(gè)月，美國(guó)通過(guò)管道向墨西哥輸送的天然氣也將達(dá)到歷史最高水平。

　　政府?dāng)?shù)據(jù)顯示，美國(guó)地下天然氣儲(chǔ)量比往年同期低6.2%。

　　對(duì)沖基金Again Capital LLC的創(chuàng)始合伙人約翰?基爾達(dá)夫(John Kilduff)表示，市場(chǎng)正以“多年來(lái)庫(kù)存最低的天然氣儲(chǔ)量”進(jìn)入冬季。

　　黎泱 編譯自 世界石油

　　原文如下：

　　Natural gas price nears three-year high as summer heat strains supply

　　Natural gas futures soared to $4 per million British thermal units in the U.S. for the first time since December 2018 as summer heat intensified concerns about tight supplies later this year.

　　Gas for August delivery settled at $4.003, the highest closing price in 31 months. The premium for March 2022 gas over April futures -- essentially a bet on how undersupplied the market will be at the end of next winter -- reached 62.9 cents, hovering near a record high.

　　Prices for the fuel are soaring across the globe as scorching weather stokes demand for electricity to run air conditioners. In the U.S., however, the rally is also underpinned by concern about a potential supply shortfall in the winter, when gas consumption peaks as homes and businesses crank up the heat. Stockpiles are already below normal for the time of year, and production growth has been restrained as drillers heed investor calls for capital discipline.

　　“You generally have a heat situation that justifies this kind of rally. It’s largely a function of the weather, and it’s not going to go away,” Bob Yawger, director of the futures division at Mizuho Securities, said in an interview. “We haven’t seen this kind of heat in a long time.”

　　Intense summer heat could push power demand in Texas to near-record levels next week, but the state’s grid operator says it has more than enough electricity to keep blackouts at bay.

　　Temperatures are expected to soar to 101 Fahrenheit (38 Celsius) in Dallas as soon as Monday, the National Weather Service said, breaking the 100-degree mark for the first time this year.

　　Exports are also contributing to tight gas supplies. In May, the U.S. shipments of liquefied natural gas exceeded Australia’s for the first time ever as buyers around the world continued to purchase record amounts of the super-chilled fuel. The next month, gas deliveries to Mexico from the U.S. via pipeline also reached an all-time high.

　　U.S. gas in underground storage is 6.2% below normal for the time of year, government data show.

　　The market is on pace to go into the winter with “the least amount of gas in storage we’ve had on hand in years,” said John Kilduff, founding partner at hedge fund Again Capital LLC.