Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) Supply Chains: Recent Advances and Future Opportunities

Even as global economies shift away from a fossil-based energy mix to renewables, in many countries, the share of natural gas (NG) in their energy baskets is increasing. As the cleaner option among fossil fuels and given its widespread availability at scale, NG is expected to play a dominant role as the bridge fuel during the energy transition. NG is traded globally under cryogenic conditions as liquefied natural gas (LNG). The LNG supply chain comprises LNG exports, maritime transportation, imports, regasification, and distribution to various end users. This work provides a comprehensive review of the scientific advancements related to the overall LNG supply chain. In the last two decades, major developments have occurred in terminal modeling; process and energy optimization; safety, risk, and consequence assessments; and supply chain (SC) optimization. Our review reveals that the management of boil-off gas continues to be a core challenge, as reflected in the broad range of studies to model, control, and optimize this aspect. We conclude our review with insights on opportunities for future research, including SC resilience and operational efficiency. Finally, new-generation fuels such as hydrogen and its carriers are also often handled under cryogenic conditions. Therefore, research on their SCs should be informed by the literature on LNG SCs.