By CWI555
Date 12-01-2006 02:32
Edited 12-01-2006 02:38
Food for thought;
Natural gas is an up an coming energy source. As we speak, multiple LNG Gasification and Re-gasification plants are in progress and considerably more on the way. The wisdom of the day is the plate should be 9% Nickel. E(R)NiCrMo-3, E NiCrMo-4, E NiCrMo-6. are some of the fillers being used. The problem that I see is this, as long as oil prices go up, governments and corporations will be looking to alternative energy needs, and with the shear volume of natural gas in the world as compared to oil, it becomes feasible and profitable to built multiple LNG trains and tanks. This is going to tax the Ni/Mo market above and beyond what it was prior to the past few years. Normal supply levels will have to be adjusted due to this new niche demand. In comes supply and demand pricing. NI and Mo will not be coming down any time soon in my opinion, but rather be going up in parallel with the price of oil. Again, this is above and beyond what was the normal supply levels. Until someone comes up with a better material for cryogenic temperatures, I think it's going to be going up. I base a lot of this on sourcing problems for plate and wire that I have been witness to, and have had reported. Maybe Im wrong but it's something to think about.