记者 Keira Wright 澳大利亚即将公布一项有争议计划的最终版本，该计划将强制液化天然气（LNG）生产商为本地买家预留高达五分之一的产量。
Australia is set to unveil the final version of a controversial plan to force liquefied natural gas producers to reserve as much as a fifth of their output for local buyers.
据三位直接参与该提案的人士透露，政府将于下周提交立法，以确立国内天然气预留计划的法律地位。因讨论尚未公开，上述人士要求不具名。
The government will introduce legislation underpinning the Domestic Gas Reservation Scheme next week, according to three people directly involved with the proposal, who asked not to be named because the discussions are private. Australia – now the world’s second-biggest LNG exporter after Qatari supply was choked off due to the Middle East war – exports about three-quarters of its gas, but is facing a domestic shortfall on its more populated east coast toward the end of the decade.
澳大利亚目前是仅次于卡塔尔的世界第二大LNG出口国——由于中东战争导致卡塔尔供应受阻——该国出口约四分之三的天然气，但其人口稠密的东海岸预计将在本世纪末面临国内短缺。该计划遭到生产商的强烈反对，他们表示这可能会阻碍投资，并损害澳大利亚作为全球市场可靠供应国的声誉。
The plan has faced vocal opposition from producers, who say it could stymie investment and damage the nation’s reputation as a reliable supplier to global markets. LNG producers must set aside 20% of their gas output for the local market, according to a draft of the scheme released in May.
根据5月发布的计划草案，LNG生产商必须将20%的天然气产量留给本地市场。然而，在行业游说后，政府软化了立场，于9月表示，公司将被要求在澳大利亚保留高达五分之一的产量，具体数量将根据滚动五年需求预测每年设定。两位知情人士表示，预计没有单个出口商能获得完全豁免。气候变化、能源、环境和水资源部暂未回应置评请求。
However, following industry lobbying the government softened its position, saying in September companies would be required to keep as much as a fifth of their production in Australia, with the exact amount to be set annually based on a rolling five-year demand forecast. No individual exporter is expected to receive a full exemption from the rules, two of the people said. The Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water did not immediately respond to a request for comment. With projects in Western Australia already subject to a 15% state reservation policy, the new rules will have the biggest impact on three major developments in Queensland — Australia Pacific LNG, Gladstone LNG and QCLNG.
由于西澳项目已受制于15%的州级预留政策，新规将对昆士兰州的三大项目——澳太LNG、格拉德斯通LNG和QCLNG——产生最大影响。这些项目的股东包括壳牌、康菲石油、Santos Ltd. 和 Origin Energy Ltd.该计划可能对Santos运营的格拉德斯通项目产生特别大的影响，该项目历史上一直难以生产足够天然气以履行出口承诺。
The projects have shareholders including Shell Plc, ConocoPhillips, Santos Ltd. and Origin Energy Ltd. The scheme threatens to have a particularly big influence on the Santos-operated Gladstone project, which has historically struggled to produce enough gas to meet export commitments.
该政策可能会利好全球液化天然气（LNG）价格，后者因大部分卡塔尔供应被困在有争议的霍尔木兹海峡后而已处于高位，尽管关于澳大利亚国内市场能吸收多少额外天然气仍存疑问。该国大部分液化天然气出口流向中国、日本和韩国。
The policy is likely to be bullish for global LNG prices, which are already at elevated levels due to the loss of most Qatari supply that’s trapped behind the contested Strait of Hormuz, although there are questions about how much extra gas Australia’s domestic market can absorb. Most of the country’s LNG exports go to China, Japan and South Korea.
该计划也可能拖累政府财政，因为液化天然气与铁矿石、黄金和煤炭一样，是澳大利亚最大的出口创汇来源之一。
The plan may also crimp government finances, given LNG is one of Australia’s biggest export earners, along with iron ore, gold and coal.
政府在9月表示，该计划的许可证申请流程将于2027年1月1日启动，国内供应义务将在一年后开始生效。
The license application process for the scheme will start from Jan. 1, 2027, and the domestic supply obligation will begin a year later, the government said in September.