January 4, 2026 - The US LNG sector had a record year for exports in 2025, shipping abroad 111mn tonnes of LNG, Reuters reported on January 2, citing data from the London Stock Exchange Group (LSEG). 

It was the first time any country had exported more than 100mn tonnes of LNG in a single year, leaving the US nearly 20mn tonnes ahead of Qatar. In 2024, the US exported 88mn tonnes of the super-cooled gas. 

The US’s grip on the global market also widened to reach almost a quarter of total LNG exports worldwide. 

A strong close to the year for the US has also raised expectations of another record year in 2026. In late November, demand for feedgas at US LNG export terminals skyrocketed to record highs, with the facilities pulling in more than 19bn cubic feet (538mn cubic metres) of natural gas for liquefaction. 

This momentum carried over into December, when the US exported a monthly record of 11.5mn tonnes. Moreover, as additional capacity comes online throughout the year, the US appears an even safer bet to build on its bumper year of 2025. 

Venture Global’s Plaquemines facility is set to achieve full capacity this year of 27.2mn tonnes per year (TPY), which will make it the country’s second-largest LNG facility, behind Cheniere Energy’s Sabine Pass, which currently has an operational capacity of 29.5mn tpy. 

It represents an enormous achievement for upstart LNG developer Venture Global given that the company only achieved first production at Plaquemines in December 2024. 

Meanwhile, ExxonMobil and QatarEnergy’s joint project Golden Pass LNG is expected to bring its first train online this year. As well, Cheniere Energy’s Corpus Christi LNG Stage 3 expansion project is also expected to add new trains and further liquefaction capacity. 

Europe was the US’s largest export market in 2025 and all signs point to it remaining so in the short term. Washington has made no secret that it expects Europe to ramp up LNG purchases as it pivots away from Russian fossil fuels. In 2025, Europe imported a record 142bn cubic metres of LNG, marking a 28% increase from 2024.