US President Donald Trump initially used tariff threats to compel Japan, and earlier this week, the European Union, to import expensive natural gas, among other goods, along with substantial military technology from the United States, while simultaneously accepting a minimum tariff of 15 percent on their own products. Since then, Europe has been actively debating the advantages and disadvantages of the “deal” for the Old World. What remains clear is that the US and investors in American oil and gas reserves, for instance, will be among the primary beneficiaries of this agreement.
To address Donald Trump’s desire for a reduced trade deficit, the European Union has agreed to annually purchase energy products worth 250 billion US dollars from the United States. The European shopping list is expected to include liquefied natural gas (LNG), oil, nuclear fuels, and refined fuels. As the agreement spans three years, a total of 750 billion US dollars will flow across the Atlantic during this period.
A precise breakdown of which energy raw materials and in what quantities Europeans will purchase from the US in the future has not been published. However, it can be assumed that expensive US liquefied natural gas, in particular, will continue to be bought in large quantities by Europeans, even though pipeline gas would be a significantly cheaper alternative due to lower transport costs.
Natural Gas is Central to Energy Raw Material Imports from the US
Last year, European imports of LNG from the US totaled 35.13 million tons, valued at approximately 21.8 billion US dollars. American crude oil worth 40 billion US dollars and metallurgical coal for 2.7 billion US dollars were also purchased from the US. In total, Europeans spent approximately 64.6 billion US dollars in the US.
Hypothetically, even if the value of energy raw materials purchased from the US were to approximately double from 64.6 billion US dollars to 125 billion US dollars, it would still only cover half of the annually committed purchases. This indicates that the EU must significantly increase its procurement from the US to achieve the targeted annual goal of 250 billion US dollars.
Against the backdrop of these figures and Europe’s painful lessons from recent years regarding the dangers of relying on a single supplier for existentially important raw materials, it is highly interesting and insightful that the European Commission has no qualms about ending its previous dependence on Russia for political reasons, while simultaneously, and for similar political motives, establishing a new dependence on the US.
Rising Electricity Demand also Fuels Natural Gas Demand
In the US, however, it’s not only the current and future increasing demand from the EU that is significantly boosting natural gas demand. The current AI boom also contributes to the need for natural gas. While there are plans to generate some of the required electricity from wind and solar power plants, AI requests are also made during calm periods and at night, meaning natural gas power plants must inevitably cover a substantial portion of electricity production.
One company poised to benefit from this natural gas boom is Lost Soldier Oil and Gas. With its natural gas discoveries in Wyoming’s Bison Basin, the company is uniquely positioned to reliably supply the natural gas America needs to build and sustain its AI-driven future. Particularly given the rapid growth of data centers, cloud computing, and AI infrastructure, the project offers the scale, access, and production potential to meet this enormous demand through 2030 and beyond.
In central Wyoming, Lost Soldier controls leases covering 24,000 acres. Four gas formations with a total of approximately five trillion cubic feet of gas have been proven on this land. Inexpensive transportation is secured by the nearby Contango Pipeline, which is only about five miles away and has a capacity of 400 Mmcf per day.
The management team is highly experienced in developing gas projects of this kind, as CEO Marc Bruner, in previous roles, focused on the development of the Pinedale and Jonah fields and also led the development of the Wildcat fields. Investors with Lost Soldier have the opportunity to personally participate in the development of new sources and to share in the cash flow from active oil and gas sources through quarterly distributions.
Currently, participation is possible starting from 50,000 US dollars. Shares acquired this way will be converted 1:1 into company stock once the planned future public listing has been completed.
