Trafigura Calls for a Rethink of LNG Project Funding

The current financing model for most LNG export projects, where banks require a large part of the future volumes to be contracted in advance in long-term deals, needs to change, according to Richard Holtum, chief executive at major commodity trader Trafigura. Currently, projects in the Americas, for example, need to show the banks that 80-90% of their future annual supply is already locked in long-term contracts with buyers. “I feel sorry for LNG projects in the US,” Holtum said on a panel at the LNG2026 conference in Doha, Qatar, as…