French May Be Getting Creative To Tap Into America's Energy Largesse

The Wall Street Journal is reporting (Don alerted me to the link, via the Yahoo! DNR message board):

Cheap stuff attracts buyers, and gas is no different. French utility EDF has announced plans to develop floating barges that could liquefy North American gas to be shipped overseas. In theory, this could offer a cheaper, faster way to get U.S. gas on the high seas than some land-based projects.

Europe needs the help. Its power stations are burning more U.S. coal these days, which has been displaced by cheap gas at home. That helps with costs but does nothing for Europe's carbon-emissions targets. Alistair Buchanan, who runs the U.K.'s energy-market regulator, warned again this week that the country's reliance on imported gas to power its electricity grid looks set to intensify, raising energy bills.