悉尼讯 -- 澳大利亚政府正与天然气生产商就一项计划中的要求发生争执，该要求旨在强制生产商预留部分供应量用于国内市场。即便政府已放宽提案，企业界仍在争取更多让步。
SYDNEY -- The Australian government is sparring with natural gas producers over a planned requirement to set aside part of their supply for the domestic market, with businesses pushing for more concessions even after the government loosened its proposal.
政府于去年12月宣布了国内天然气预留计划的方案。今年5月，政府告知出口商，从2027年6月起，它们需要向澳大利亚市场供应相当于其年出口总量20%的天然气。
The government announced plans for a domestic gas reservation scheme last December. In May, it told exporters that they would need to supply gas equivalent to 20% of their annual gross exports to the Australian market starting in June 2027.
澳大利亚是世界最大的天然气生产国之一，但人口集中的东海岸却出现了短缺。高昂的价格推高了电力和燃料成本，导致制造业停滞。政府的目标是确保供应量比总需求高出10%。
Australia is among the world's largest gas producers, yet its eastern coast, where the population is concentrated, has seen shortages. Higher prices have pushed up electricity and fuel costs that have stalled manufacturing. The government's aim is to secure supply that is 10% above overall demand.
在与业界磋商后，政府于9月10日发布了修订提案，要求预留量最高为出口总量的20%，实施时间推迟至2028年1月。但企业界对此仍感不满。
After consultation with the industry, the government on Sept. 10 released a revised proposal requiring reserves of up to 20% of gross exports, with implementation moved to January 2028. But businesses remain unhappy about the idea.
澳大利亚能源生产商协会首席执行官萨曼莎·麦库洛奇上周五在一份声明中表示，建议对框架进行进一步修订：“这是一项根本性的市场改革，应着眼长远进行设计。人为过度供应市场或许能带来短期的‘糖分冲击’，但将以牺牲投资为代价，这只会加剧未来的价格压力和能源安全风险。” 天然气生产商和出口商担心，预留计划将侵蚀盈利能力，并拖累新投资项目的决策。
"This is a fundamental market reform that should be designed for the long term," Samantha McCulloch, chief executive of industry group Australia Energy Producers, said last Friday in a statement recommending further revisions to the framework. "Artificially oversupplying the market may deliver a short-term sugar hit but it will come at the expense of investment that will only add to future price pressures and energy security risks." Gas producers and exporters worry that the reservation scheme will erode profitability and bog down decisions on new investment.
该措施预计将严重冲击现行商业模式，该模式涉及在数年内进行大规模前期资源开发投资，并通过海外销售收回成本。天然气是澳大利亚按收入计算的第三大出口商品。
The measure is expected to heavily affect the current business model, which involves massive upfront investment in resource development over the course of multiple years that is recouped through overseas sales. Gas is Australia's third-largest export by revenue.
澳大利亚天然气巨头桑托斯正在考虑新南威尔士州的纳拉布里煤层气项目。首席执行官凯文·加拉格尔9月23日在《澳大利亚人报》举办的能源论坛上表示：“国内天然气政策变化的影响可能会影响我们实施该项目的能力，如果这导致天然气价格跌破证明投资合理性所需的价格水平。”
Australian gas giant Santos is considering a Narrabri coal seam gas project in New South Wales. "The impacts of the domestic gas policy changes could have an impact on our ability to do that project if it drove the price of gas down below the price required to justify the investment," CEO Kevin Gallagher said Sept. 23 at an energy forum held by The Australian newspaper.
韩国国有企业韩国天然气公社（简称Kogas）正与桑托斯在昆士兰州的一个项目上合作。Kogas澳大利亚公司法务负责人尹智告诉《澳大利亚人报》：“我们的担忧依然严重。”
South Korea's state-owned Korea Gas -- or Kogas -- is partnering with Santos on a project in Queensland. "Our concerns are still grave," Kogas Australia's head of legal, Jee Yoon, told The Australian.
尽管预留提案尚未实施，但已在扭曲市场。澳大利亚买家正推迟合同谈判，预期一旦预留要求生效价格就会下跌。如果供应澳大利亚市场的中小生产商无法签署长期合同，它们将更难做出增加产量的投资决策。
The reservation proposal is already distorting markets even though it has yet to be implemented. Australian buyers are postponing contract negotiations, expecting prices to drop once the reservation requirement takes effect. If small producers that supply the Australian market cannot sign long-term contracts, it will be harder for them to make investment decisions to increase output.
为出口市场的开发最终有助于提升国内供应。目前的供应紧张部分归因于增加产量的困难，原因是漫长的环境审查和许可流程。
Development for export markets has ultimately helped to lift domestic supply. The current tight market owes partly to the difficulty of increasing production, due to the lengthy environmental review and permitting processes.