The UK was the top destination for US liquefied natural gas supplies for the fifth month in a row in March, while Germany is also becoming a big importer of LNG from US terminals.
According to the Department of Energy’s newest LNG monthly report, US terminals shipped 70.5 Bcf of LNG to the UK in March, 61 Bcf to the Netherlands, 38.1 Bcf to Spain, 28.6 Bcf to France, and 24.8 Bcf to Germany.
These five countries took 60.9 percent of total US LNG exports in March.
US terminals sent 71.7 Bcf of LNG to the UK in February, 63 Bcf of LNG in January, 69.3 Bcf of LNG in December, and 82.8 Bcf of LNG in November.
German LNG imports
This is the first time for Germany to be in the top five receiving countries for US LNG supplies.
Germany’s first FSRU-based import facility in Wilhelmshaven received its first LNG tanker from the US in early January.
The launch of the Wilhelmshaven facility was followed by the opening of the FSRU-based terminals in Lubmin and Brunsbüttel.
The Elbehafen FSRU-based LNG import terminal in Brunsbüttel recently received an LNG cargo from the US and launched commerical operations.
US LNG exports slightly up
The US exported in total 366.3 Bcf of LNG in March, up by 0.7 percent compared to the same month last year and a rise of 12.4 percent from the prior month, the DOE report shows.
US terminals shipped 121 LNG cargoes in March, compared to 100 cargoes in February and 114 in March 2022, according to the report.
Cheniere’s Sabine Pass plant sent 41 cargoes, while its Corpus Christi terminal shipped 19 cargoes in March.
In addition, Cameron LNG dispatched 36 shipments, Freeport LNG sent 12 cargoes, Cove Point LNG sent 8 cargoes, and Elba Island LNG dispatched 5 shipments.
In February this year, Freeport LNG started shipping cargoes again from its LNG export plant in Texas since the shutdown in June 2021.
4579 LNG cargoes
According to DOE’s report, the weighted average price by export terminal reached 7.67/MMBtu in March.
Moreover, the report said that in the period from February 2016 through March 2023, the US exported 4579 cargoes or 14,629.7 Bcf to 44 countries.
South Korea remains the top destination for US LNG with 513 cargoes, followed by Japan with 380 cargoes, the UK with 361 cargoes, Spain with 363 cargoes, and France with 330 cargoes.
Spain took more cargoes but less volumes than the UK, the data shows.
Besides these five countries, China, the Netherlands, India, Turkey, and Brazil are in the top ten as well.