When Royal Dutch Shell (RDSB) launched its £35.6bn bid for BG Group, it was easy to appreciate the strategic rationale. At a stroke, the Anglo-Dutch energy giant not only bolstered its reserves, but also shored-up its position in a global liquefied natural gas (LNG) market which had grown rapidly since the turn of the millennium.
Shell wasn’t alone in increasing its exposure to the sector, but investors may now be questioning whether long-term prospects in gas markets warrant the massive capital allocation. A supply glut, most noticeably in the US Permian basin, weighed on gas prices last year, and there are few signs of respite as new fields in Australia and Russia come online.