Global LNG-Asia down more as stocks full
* Two deals done at about $14.20/mmBtu-trader * Minimal demand expected until June * Argentina tender result still unclear London, April 24 (Reuters) - Asian prices of liquefied natural gas (LNG) cargoes for June delivery fell sharply this week on scant demand due to packed terminal inventories. Prices fell to between $14.20-$14.50 per million British thermal units (mmBtu) compared with around $15/mmBtu earlier in the month, as buyers lowered bids in light of poor demand. "A big Asian buyer paid between $14.20 and $14.30 for two cargoes spread across June and July," a source from a trading house said, adding there was little expected incremental demand expected until June. Buyers mostly have the LNG stockpiles they need for May and are staying out of the spot market ahead of the summer, sources said. Utilities in Japan used 6.3 percent less natural gas in March than a year earlier as reduced heating demand and energy-saving measures helped to curb power generation. LNG purchases by Tokyo Electric Power (Tepco), Japan's biggest regional utility, slid 3.6 percent in March from March 2012. Demand may pick up in coming months, however, because the weather in Japan, the world's largest LNG importer, is expected to be mostly warmer than average from April to June, which could increase the demand for electricity for cooling. South Korea's state-run Korea Gas Corp (KOGAS) said its domestic gas sales in March fell 3.5 percent year on year. AMERICAS AND BRITAIN Demand remained fairly robust in the Americas, with a raft of recent tenders, making up for reduced arbitrage opportunities for shipments between the Atlantic and Pacific markets as prices converged. In South America, the results of Argentina's tender for supply of 10 cargoes had still not filtered into the market. In a previous tender, it secured no more than 14 cargoes out of a target of 24 for May-August delivery. Britain, which has struggled to attract cargoes throughout the winter when Asian demand was riding high, has seen an influx of LNG in recent weeks. Port data shows that four LNG tankers are expected to unload at UK terminals this week. British prompt gas prices rose on Wednesday as Dutch deliveries collapsed and left the network undersupplied, although Norway partly offset losses by re-routing more gas away from Europe. In the United States, U.S. natural gas futures edged higher on Tuesday, consolidating after Monday's more than 4-percent slide, as traders weighed a tightening supply picture against falling seasonal demand. (Reporting by Oleg Vukmanovic in London and Rebekah Kebede in Pert; Editing by William Hardy)