(Reuters) – The United States has become the first country to export 10 million tonnes (mmt) of liquefied natural gas in a single month, according to preliminary data from financial firm LSEG. The U.S. exported 10.1 mmt of liquid fuel in October, a record high, up from September’s revised figure of 9.1 mmt, according to LSEG data.
The United States, already the world’s largest LNG exporter, is ramping up sales in a record-setting four months in 2025. The surge was driven by the launch of Venture Global’s Plaquemines export plant and Cheniere’s Corpus Christi Stage 3 project, according to the data.
The Plaquemines facility in Louisiana sold 2.2 mmt last month, surpassing September’s record high of 1.6 mmt, according to the data. Cheniere’s Corpus Christi export facility exported 1.6 mmt, also a record for the plant.
With Sabine Pass exporting 2.6 mmt in October, the company sold a total of 4.2 mmt, or 42% of all LNG exported by the United States. Once Corpus Christi Stage 3 operations are complete, Cheniere will be able to export more than 50 million tonnes a year starting in 2026, CEO Jacques Fusco said on a recent earnings call.
According to LSEG data, Venture Global and Cheniere accounted for 72% of the country’s total exports in October.
Europe is our biggest customer
Europe remains the main destination for U.S. LNG, with 6.9 milt, almost 69% of total exports, going there last month. This figure compares with 6.22 mmt in September, as Europe continued to fill up storage for the winter, according to LSEG ship tracking data.
U.S. LNG exports to Asia totaled 1.96 mmt last month, compared with 1.63 mmt in September, according to ship tracking data. LNG exports from the United States to Latin America fell to 0.57 mmt in October from 0.63 mmt in September, as the continent prepares to enter a warm summer, according to LSEG ship tracking data.
Meanwhile, Egypt bought five cargoes totaling 0.43 mmt, lower than the 0.5 mmt it bought in September, data showed. According to LSEG’s ship tracking data, there were two shipments totaling 0.1 mmt destined for Senegal, and two shipments for which customers were seeking orders for an additional 0.1 mmt.
At European benchmark Dutch title transfer facilities, gas was trading at $10.88 per million British thermal units in October, down from $11.13 in September. In the Asian Japan-Korea marker benchmark, the average price in October was $11.11 and in September it was $11.32.
Because TTF and JKM prices were so close, there was little incentive for U.S. LNG exporters to shift sales from European markets to more distant Asian markets.
Reporting by Curtis Williams in Houston. Editing: Nathan Crooks and Paul Simao
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