LONDON, June 3 (Reuters) - Liquefied natural gas (LNG)

prices could rise further in significant volatility than

experienced so far during the Iran war if supply disruptions

coalesce with hot weather in Asia and European storage refill

needs, Uniper's chief executive for the Middle East, John Roper,

said on Wednesday.

The current supply disruptions have hit Asian countries

excluding China harder than Europe so far, and the consequences

will be felt until at least 2030 as the closure of the Strait of

Hormuz and damage to facilities took most of the LNG supply

growth from 2025-2026 off the market, Roper said.

However, new projects due to come online in 2027-2028 will

in the medium term provide a more balanced market despite the

short-term problems gas markets are facing, Roper told the S&P

Global Energy Middle East Petroleum and Gas Conference in

London.

Asian LNG prices have rallied 75% from their pre-war level

and are now at $18.20 per mmBtu, LSEG data show. Prices rose in

March to their highest level since Dec 2022, hitting $25.30,

after Iran hit Qatar LNG Ras Laffan facility.

But that is a long way from their record high of $70.50 per

mmBtu in August 2022 after Russia's full-scale invasion of

Ukraine earlier that year.