The president of Chevron Australia said that the price of liquefied natural gas, which has soared sharply since the outbreak of the US-Iran war, is unlikely to fall back in the short term. Balaji Krishnamurti said in an interview on Monday: “It's hard for me to predict the price drop in the next six months or so.” On the sidelines of the Bangkok International Gas Conference, he said that given its location close to Asia, “Australian LNG currently enjoys a premium price.” The American oil giant operates the Gauguin and Wheatstone projects in Australia. The company benefited from a rise in prices due to the interruption in exports to Qatar; Qatar supplied about one-fifth of the world's liquefied natural gas. However, this has also caused demand to shrink to a certain extent in the short term. In the long run, there is a risk that liquefied natural gas consumption will decline as countries seek alternative energy sources to withstand future supply shocks. Krishnamurti said that the development of artificial intelligence will be a key driving force for the growth in demand for liquefied natural gas, and there are relevant opportunities in Australian data centers. He added that the war has also made customers more inclined to sign long-term supply contracts, and energy security is now a top priority. Krishnamurti said, “In the short term, we will continue to see some adjustments in demand. But in the long run, the fundamentals, especially those of LNG, are still very strong.”