Middle East buyers seeking Canadian LNG to hedge geopolitical turmoil

"Almost every week, someone is approaching us to say, 'hey, do you still have capacity?'" Bedi said. "Very interestingly, not only is it north Asia that is coming, but to my surprise, even LNG suppliers out of Middle East are coming to find alternate supplies for their customers."

Bedi declined to name the companies.

A spokeswoman for Canada's Energy Minister Tim Hodgson confirmed Middle Eastern buyers have expressed interest not only in investing in the Canadian LNG sector, but in securing physical LNG cargoes from Canada, the world's fifth-largest natural gas producer.

"The federal government has heard strong interest from Middle Eastern companies in pursuing both LNG equity investments and offtake deals," said spokeswoman Charlotte Power in an email.