Five Questions for Europe's Gloomy Natural Gas Market in 2016
- U.K. gas prices plummeted 30% in 2015, Dutch gas fell 20%
- Surge of supply poised to enter global markets next year
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As the new year begins, Europe’s natural gas markets stand at the center of a web of geographic, financial and political factors that could reshape their future.
In 2015, natural gas prices declined as the result of an oversupply made worse by the falling cost of coal, rising use of renewables, better energy efficiency and the warmest year on record. The result: benchmark contracts had their first consecutive annual loss, ending the year at their lowest levels since 2009.