زهرا شمس الاحراری

Abstract

One of the largest sources of government revenue has been the export of liquefied natural gas (LNG) from the past to the present. The primary method of exporting this lucrative and vital energy has been through pipelines, which, due to adverse economic, environmental, and security impacts, have prompted human thought to seek an alternative method capable of tra  ortation without pipelines, with lower costs, reduced pollution, and less environmental damage, among other benefits.The LNG industry is another, albeit not entirely new, method for the tra  ortation and export of natural gas. This industry converts natural gas into liquid at a temperature of minus ۱۶۰ degrees Celsius, enabling its tra  ortation to remote areas without pipelines. Therefore, the LNG industry is considered an alternative to pipeline exports, which, despite its numerous advantages (as mentioned in the preceding lines), is accompanied by disadvantages and challenges, particularly inflexible contracts and limited amendability of rights and obligations due to emerging conditions and changes in the global market, price fluctuations, dependence on other energy sources such as oil, the inclination towards renewable energies, and changes in the political structure of governments (which can disrupt the fulfillment of commitments). Given the global reception and the expansion of players in this industry, there is a need for its reform and standardization. The traditional LNG industry in Iran existed before the Islamic Revolution, but due to conflicts and economic sanctions, the technologies, equipment, and infrastructure of this industry have not been developed in Iran, and despite its vast natural gas reserves, it has not been able to compete with major and first-rate players in this industry such as the United States and Qatar.Alongside the extensive and established LNG industry, there is another industry on a smaller scale called mini-LNG, which pursues the same method of natural gas liquefaction but with the aim of local and smaller-scale tra  ortation.This research, considering the increasing supply and demand for natural gas, the entry of emerging players into this industry, high competitiveness among them, technological transformations, structural market changes, the desire for an easier method of export than pipelines, and the need for relatively clean and sustainable energy, aims to examine, through descriptive and analytical methods, using library tools and extraction from domestic and foreign sources, articles, theses, dissertations, and especially foreign articles (given the lack of sufficient and adequate resources in domestic law on this matter), the transition from inflexible and long-term contracts of the traditional LNG industry, which has reduced competitiveness, to date. Furthermore, despite Iran holding the second-largest natural gas reserves in the world, the limitations mentioned in this research have caused the country's role to be less prominent than other players in this industry. Therefore, this research seeks to present solutions and methods to revitalize the LNG industry for experts in this field to overcome these crises.