Proposed liquefied natural gas (LNG) projects in Southern Asia are failing at a much higher rate than those in Europe, according to the authors of the newly released report. While European countries generally complete about as much import capacity as they cancel, nations in Southern Asia have seen two to three times more capacity abandoned than successfully brought into service over the last decade.
The report highlights that “over the last decade, Southern Asia’s LNG importers have shelved or cancelled 2–3 times as much planned import capacity as they have brought online.” In contrast, the authors state that “in Europe, there is a roughly even ratio of LNG import projects that were failed vs. built.”
This means that while Europe has a consistent track record of finishing the energy projects it proposes, Southern Asia faces a high rate of collapse for its infrastructure plans. For every new facility that actually begins receiving gas in countries like India, Pakistan, or Bangladesh, double or even triple that amount of planned capacity is scrapped or stalled. This gap suggests that the region’s massive expansion goals are often unrealistic and frequently run into roadblocks before they can be finished.
The briefing ‘Southern Asia’s gas plans may be overblown’ was released by Global Energy Monitor in March 2026. Prepared by authors Robert Rozansky and Julie Joly, the report analyzes how geopolitical shocks and falling renewable costs are undermining ambitious gas infrastructure projects across India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh.
