USA Takes Crown from Qatar in LNG Exports in 2023.

American exports of liquefied natural gas (LNG) set monthly and annual records in December, according to tanker movement data, securing the USA the top spot on the global exporter leaderboard. USA has surpassed Qatar and Australia to become the largest exporter of liquefied gas in 2023, analysts claim.

In 2022, Qatar held the title of the largest LNG exporter, with Australia in second place, according to U.S. government data.

Last year, the USA stood out with the largest increase in LNG supply in the world, said Alex Munton, director of global gas and LNG research at consulting firm Rapidan Energy Group, adding that they delivered 8.6 million metric tons of LNG just in December.

– Record production in the USA was driven by two factors: the complete normalization of Freeport LNG operations, which increased supply by six million tons, and the annual production of the Calcasieu Pass facility of Venture Global LNG, which was three million tons higher than in 2022, Munton explained.

American exports rose last year by 14.7 percent to 88.9 million tons, primarily driven by the normalization of production at the Freeport facility following the aftermath of a fire in 2022. Others improved processing efficiency, LSEG data showed. In 2022, the USA delivered 77.5 million tons of LNG, according to LSEG data.

Europe was again the main destination for American LNG exports in December, with 5.43 million tons delivered, accounting for just over 61 percent of total exports. In November, the share of exports to Europe was 68 percent, LSEG data showed.

The smaller share of exports to Europe in December was a result of significantly higher temperatures and filled storage in Europe, analysts from consulting firm Rystad Energy said. European gas storage reported that they were 97 percent full at the beginning of December.

Asia was the second-largest export market for American LNG in December, with 2.29 million tons delivered, or 26.6 percent of exports. In November, it was 18.5 percent.

Half a million metric tons were exported to Latin America, accounting for just under six percent of total exports, according to LSEG vessel tracking data.