A Unified Real Options Framework for Natural Gas Storage: Integrating Market Regimes and Cross-Market Spillovers

Natural gas markets exhibit violent, non-linear volatility regimes. The 2022 energy crisis introduced persistent supply shocks and cross-Atlantic spillover effects. Traditional valuation models assume single-regime environments; consequently, they systematically misprice storage assets during extreme stress. We propose a valuation framework tailored to these specific market volatilities. By integrating a hidden Markov model (HMM) and Diebold–Yilmaz (DY) spillover indices into a stochastic dynamic programming (SDP) engine, the framework isolates the persistence of stressed market conditions. The model captures structural arbitrage opportunities. We demonstrate a 197 percent net present value (NPV) premium over conventional benchmarks using synthetic data. The optimal policy expands inventory holding periods during high spillover intensity. The algorithm executes decisions with sub-millisecond latency. This approach provides a computationally viable tool for high-frequency risk management.