Newly elected American President Donald Trump has already rescinded the moratorium on issuing permits for new liquefied natural gas export projects on Monday, indicating his intention to increase energy production and exports worldwide.
Nearly a year ago, the cabinet of now-former American President Joe Biden suspended the issuance of permits, and the Department of Energy announced an analysis of the impact of gas projects on the economy and the environment.
The moratorium raised concerns in Europe as the U.S. is now among the main suppliers, alongside Norway and Qatar.
On the first day of his new term, Trump rescinded the moratorium with an executive order and announced increased oil and gas production and exports to countries around the world.
Since 2018, the U.S. has tripled its export capacity and in 2023 it has topped the global rankings of liquefied natural gas exporters thanks to the boom in shale gas production.
The Department of Energy estimated last week that gas prices in the domestic market are expected to rise as demand driven by LNG exports is expected to grow faster than production.
Total U.S. gas production is expected to increase by 1.7 percent in 2025, following nearly stagnation in 2024, according to their estimates published last Tuesday. In 2026, growth is expected to accelerate significantly to 2.6 percent, they calculated.
Gross gas exports are expected to jump by 13.7 percent this year, following a 1.5 percent increase in 2024. In 2026, growth is expected to slow only slightly to 11.3 percent.
Under such conditions, gas prices in the physical market at the Henry Hub gas hub are expected to rise by as much as 43.2 percent this year, following a 13.5 percent decline in 2024. In the following year, their growth is expected to slow to 26.6 percent, they calculated.
