Skip to content
  • Looking for Parts? Visit Trane Supply
  • Education Plattform

Select Your Language

Selecting a language changes the language and content on the Trane site.

  • United States English
  • Canada English
  • Argentina Spanish
  • Mexico Spanish
  • Brazil Portuguese Spanish
  • Aruba English
  • Bahamas English
  • Belize English
  • Bermuda English
  • Bolivia Spanish
  • Bonaire English
  • Cayman Islands English
  • Chile Spanish
  • Colombia Spanish
  • Costa Rica Spanish
  • Curacao English
  • Dominican Republic Spanish
  • Ecuador Spanish
  • El Salvador Spanish
  • Grenada English
  • Guadeloupe English
  • Guatemala Spanish
  • Guyana English
  • Haiti English
  • Jamaica English
  • Martinique English
  • Netherland Antilles English
  • Nicaragua Spanish
  • Panama Spanish
  • Paraguay Spanish
  • Peru Spanish
  • Puerto Rico Spanish
  • Saint Lucia English
  • St. Vincent & Grenadines English
  • Suriname English
  • Trinidad & Tobago English
  • Venezuela Spanish
  • Armenia English
  • Austria German
  • Belarus Russian
  • Belgium English
  • Croatia English
  • Czech Republic Czech
  • Denmark English
  • Estonia English
  • Finland English
  • France French
  • Georgia English
  • Germany German
  • Greece Greek
  • Hungary Hungarian
  • Israel English
  • Ireland English
  • Italy Italian
  • Kazakhstan Russian
  • Latvia English
  • Lithuania English
  • The Netherlands Dutch
  • Norway English
  • Poland English
  • Portugal Portuguese
  • Romania English
  • Russia Russian
  • Serbia Russian
  • Slovakia Czech
  • Slovenia English
  • Spain Spanish
  • Sweden English
  • Switzerland French German Italian
  • Turkey Turkish
  • Ukraine English
  • United Kingdom English
  • Azerbaijan Русский
  • Tajikistan Русский
  • Uzbekistan Русский
  • Turkmenistan Русский
  • United Arab Emirates English Arabic
  • Qatar English
  • Kuwait English
  • Egypt English
  • Lebanon English Arabic French
  • Iraq English
  • Jordan English
  • Mainland of China 选择语言
  • Korea, Republic of (South Korea) Korean
  • Vietnam Vietnamese
  • India English
  • Australia English
  • Japan Japanese
  • Guam English
  • Thailand Thai
  • Taiwan Traditional Chinese
  • Hong Kong SAR English
  • Indonesia English
  • Malaysia English
  • Philippines English
  • Singapore English
  • New Zealand English
  • Services
    • Services
    • Energy & Sustainability
      • Energy & Sustainability
      • Energy Monitoring & Analysis
      • Energy Supply
      • Active Energy Management
      • Renewable Energy & Distributed Energy Resources
      • Energy Conservation Measures (energy efficiency)
    • Operate, Maintain & Repair
      • Operate, Maintain & Repair
      • Connectivity & Cloud Services
      • HVAC System Management
      • HVAC System Repair
      • Rental
    • Upgrade & Modernize
      • Upgrade & Modernize
      • Building Systems
      • HVAC System Retrofits
      • HVAC Equipment Upgrades
      • Financing & Energy Services Contracting
      • Indoor Air Quality Assessment
      • Ready for now
  • Products
    • Products
    • VRF & Ductless Solutions
      • VRF & Ductless Solutions
      • N-Gen CITY MULTI VRF
      • P Series
      • Nv Series
      • VRF System Design
    • Chillers
      • Chillers
      • Water-Cooled Chillers
      • Air-Cooled Chillers
      • Cold Gen Scroll Chillers
    • Packaged Units & Split Systems
      • Packaged Units & Split Systems
      • Rooftop Units
      • Split Systems
      • Self-Contained Units
      • Water Source Heat Pumps
      • Dedicated Outdoor Air Units
    • Energy Management & Controls
      • Energy Management & Controls
      • Building Management Systems
      • Building Automation Systems
      • Trane® Air-Fi™ Wireless Systems
      • Controllers
      • Thermostats
      • Accessories
    • Air Handling
      • Air Handling
      • Terminals
      • Sensible-Cooling Terminal Unit
      • VAV (Variable Air Volume) Units
      • Performance Air Handlers
      • Air Handling Accessories & Controls
    • Energy Storage
      • Energy Storage
      • Energy Storage Systems
    • Precision Cooling
      • Precision Cooling
      • Precision Cooling
    • Residential Units
  • Industries
    • Industries
    • Higher Education
    • Indoor Agriculture
    • K-12
    • Data Centers
    • Restaurants
    • Commercial Real Estate
    • Healthcare
    • Local Government
    • Hospitality
      • Hospitality
    • Industrial
  • About
    • About
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Customer Stories
    • Looking for Parts? Visit Trane Supply
    • Education Plattform
    • North America
      • North America

      • United States English
      • Canada English
    • Latin America
      • Latin America

      • Argentina Spanish
      • Mexico Spanish
      • Brazil Portuguese Spanish
      • Aruba English
      • Bahamas English
      • Belize English
      • Bermuda English
      • Bolivia Spanish
      • Bonaire English
      • Cayman Islands English
      • Chile Spanish
      • Colombia Spanish
      • Costa Rica Spanish
      • Curacao English
      • Dominican Republic Spanish
      • Ecuador Spanish
      • El Salvador Spanish
      • Grenada English
      • Guadeloupe English
      • Guatemala Spanish
      • Guyana English
      • Haiti English
      • Jamaica English
      • Martinique English
      • Netherland Antilles English
      • Nicaragua Spanish
      • Panama Spanish
      • Paraguay Spanish
      • Peru Spanish
      • Puerto Rico Spanish
      • Saint Lucia English
      • St. Vincent & Grenadines English
      • Suriname English
      • Trinidad & Tobago English
      • Venezuela Spanish
    • Europe
      • Europe

      • Armenia English
      • Austria German
      • Belarus Russian
      • Belgium English
      • Croatia English
      • Czech Republic Czech
      • Denmark English
      • Estonia English
      • Finland English
      • France French
      • Georgia English
      • Germany German
      • Greece Greek
      • Hungary Hungarian
      • Israel English
      • Ireland English
      • Italy Italian
      • Kazakhstan Russian
      • Latvia English
      • Lithuania English
      • The Netherlands Dutch
      • Norway English
      • Poland English
      • Portugal Portuguese
      • Romania English
      • Russia Russian
      • Serbia Russian
      • Slovakia Czech
      • Slovenia English
      • Spain Spanish
      • Sweden English
      • Switzerland French German Italian
      • Turkey Turkish
      • Ukraine English
      • United Kingdom English
      • Azerbaijan Русский
      • Tajikistan Русский
      • Uzbekistan Русский
      • Turkmenistan Русский
    • Middle East
      • Middle East

      • United Arab Emirates English Arabic
      • Qatar English
      • Kuwait English
      • Egypt English
      • Lebanon English Arabic French
      • Iraq English
      • Jordan English
    • Asia Pacific
      • Asia Pacific

      • Mainland of China 选择语言
      • Korea, Republic of (South Korea) Korean
      • Vietnam Vietnamese
      • India English
      • Australia English
      • Japan Japanese
      • Guam English
      • Thailand Thai
      • Taiwan Traditional Chinese
      • Hong Kong SAR English
      • Indonesia English
      • Malaysia English
      • Philippines English
      • Singapore English
      • New Zealand English
  • Energy & Sustainability
  • Operate, Maintain & Repair
  • Upgrade & Modernize
  • Energy Monitoring & Analysis
    Energy Monitoring & Analysis
  • Energy Supply
    Energy Supply
  • Active Energy Management
    Active Energy Management
  • Renewable Energy & Distributed Energy Resources
    Renewable Energy & Distributed Energy Resources
  • Energy Conservation Measures (energy efficiency)
    Energy Conservation Measures (energy efficiency)
More on Energy & Sustainability
  • Connectivity & Cloud Services
    Connectivity & Cloud Services
  • HVAC System Management
    HVAC System Management
  • HVAC System Repair
    HVAC System Repair
  • Rental
    Rental
More on Operate, Maintain & Repair
  • Building Systems
    Building Systems
  • HVAC System Retrofits
    HVAC System Retrofits
  • HVAC Equipment Upgrades
    HVAC Equipment Upgrades
  • Financing  & Energy Services Contracting
    Financing & Energy Services Contracting
  • Indoor Air Quality Assessment
    Indoor Air Quality Assessment
  • Ready for now.
    Ready for now
More on Upgrade & Modernize
  • VRF & Ductless Solutions
  • Chillers
  • Packaged Units & Split Systems
  • Energy Management & Controls
  • Air Handling
  • Energy Storage
  • Precision Cooling
  • Residential Units
  • N-Gen CITY MULTI VRF
    N-Gen CITY MULTI VRF
  • P Series
    P Series
  • Nv Series
    Nv Series
  • VRF System Design
    VRF System Design
More on VRF & Ductless Solutions
  • Water-Cooled Chillers
    Water-Cooled Chillers
  • Air-Cooled Chillers
    Air-Cooled Chillers
  • Cold Gen Scroll Chiller
    Cold Gen Scroll Chillers
More on Chillers
  • Rooftop Units
    Rooftop Units
  • Split Systems
    Split Systems
  • Self-Contained Units
    Self-Contained Units
  • Water Source Heat Pumps
    Water Source Heat Pumps
  • Dedicated Outdoor Air Units
    Dedicated Outdoor Air Units
More on Packaged Units & Split Systems
  • Building Management Systems
    Building Management Systems
  • Building Automation Systems
    Building Automation Systems
  • Trane® Air-Fi™ Wireless Systems
    Trane® Air-Fi™ Wireless Systems
  • Controllers
    Controllers
  • Thermostats
    Thermostats
  • Accessories
    Accessories
More on Energy Management & Controls
  • Terminal units
    Terminals
  • Sensible-Cooling Terminal Unit
    Sensible-Cooling Terminal Unit
  • VAV Units
    VAV (Variable Air Volume) Units
  • perf-CSAA
    Performance Air Handlers
  • Air Handling Accessories & Controls
    Air Handling Accessories & Controls
More on Air Handling
  • Energy Storage Systems
    Energy Storage Systems
More on Energy Storage
  • Precision Cooling
More on Precision Cooling
Read Customer Story

Creating a comfortable and inviting atmosphere for 1177 West Hastings

Higher Education K-12 Restaurants Healthcare Hospitality Industrial
Indoor Agriculture Data Centers Commercial Real Estate Local Government
Read Blog Post

4 Questions to Determine Your Equipment Upgrade Strategy

About Us Customer Stories
Contact Us

CONTACT A TRANE EXPERT

Puerto Rico Sales & Service Office

The Triad of U.S. Natural Gas Demand Growth

By: Jude Clemente

April 21, 2017

Potential US Nature Gas Demand

Thanks to a shale production boom, falling prices, and its cleaner burning and versatile nature, there has been a rush to utilize natural gas in the United States. Looking forward, there are three sectors that will significantly increase demand: power generation, industrial growth, and exports.  In total, U.S. gas consumption could grow over 25% to ~95 billion cubic feet per day (Bcf/d) by 2020.

1.  Power Generation

Since 2000, approximately 75% of new generating capacity in the U.S. has been gas-fired.  Now at about 450,000 MW, gas accounts for 43% of total U.S. capacity.  There is currently 90,000 MW of new gas-fired generating plants expected to come online over the next four years alone.

Already with over 20,000 MW retired in the past two years, the median-aged coal plant in the U.S. was built in the early-1970s.  And quietly, about 1/3 of U.S. nuclear plants are near their mandatory retirement age, facing the end of 40-year operating licenses.  In other words, as the country’s nuclear and coal fleets continue to age, the gas-fired generating fleet is getting younger and gaining market share.

With high efficiency rates, lower costs, and faster build times, over 60% of new generating capacity build-out will be combined cycle natural gas plants, according to projections from the U.S. Department of Energy. In 2016, gas generated 34% of U.S. electricity and surpassed coal to become our primary source of power generation.

2.  Industry

Industrial heavyweights seek a “manufacturing renaissance” built on a massive low cost gas resource base that gives them a competitive advantage globally.  Industry wants to use cheaper ethane derived from natural gas to replace higher cost naphtha from petroleum.

Industry uses gas as a fuel and/or feedstock to meet numerous energy requirements, making chemicals, plastics, and other everyday products.  The U.S. will also become the global leader in ethane exports (along with propane, the most abundant liquid contained in the natural gas stream), with capacity surging from almost nothing in 2013 to more than 450,000 b/d by 2018.

To illustrate, Shell's new $6 billion ethane cracker 30 miles northwest of Pittsburgh will break gas down into smaller molecules to create ethylene and polyethylene for plastics manufacturing.  The plant is expected to be completed in 2022 and will be fueled by gas sourced from the Appalachian Basin, the lowest-cost shale gas basin in North America.  Pittsburgh is ideal because it lies within a 700-mile radius of nearly 75% of all North American polyethylene customers.  IHS Markit finds that the area could support at least four additional crackers

3.  Exports

U.S. gas exports are perhaps the biggest demand side factors that could impact prices.  With actual deliveries already at 4 Bcf/d, piped capacity to Mexico will double to 15 Bcf/d by the end of 2018.  Natural gas now accounts for almost 60% of Mexico’s power generation, well more than double the OECD average.   Relying on proximate, low cost U.S. shale gas is a strategic choice to meet the needs of Mexico’s emerging economy.  By 2020, Mexico is expected to import about 75% of its gas demand from the U.S., up from 55% today.

Yet, the largest potential export market for the U.S. is the rapidly growing liquefied natural gas (LNG) trade, which involves cooling natural gas into a dense liquid to make it easier and cheaper to ship.   With lower prices, flexible contracts, a stable democracy and legal system, and an ample supply of technically advanced companies, the U.S. has already exported LNG to some 20 nations since operations began in February 2016.   The U.S. is slated to have the capacity to export at least 10-12 Bcf/d of LNG by 2020, or about six-fold from what we have now. 

Looking For Parts?

Visit Trane Supply

For General and Corporate Questions:

Contact Us
  • About Trane
  • Customer Stories
  • Locate a Sales Office
  • Careers
  • Contact Us
  • Environmental Compliance
  • Quality
  • Ethical Business Conduct
  • Supplier Terms
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • YouTube
  • Instagram

Privacy Policy  |   Terms of Use

Trane Technologies