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The DOE report shows that US terminals shipped 48.9 Bcf to the Netherlands (13.5 percent), 32 Bcf to India (8.8 percent), 31.9 Bcf to China (8.8 percent), 31.6 Bcf to Japan (8.7 percent), and 25.4 Bcf to South Korea (7 percent).
These five countries took 46.8 percent of total US LNG exports in September.
In August, South Korea was the top destination for US LNG cargoes, while China was the top destination in July.
In June, South Korea was again the top destination, and India was the top destination in May when Asia overtook Europe as the main destination for US LNG supplies.
Before that, Dutch and French LNG import terminals were the top destinations for US LNG supplies in March and April.
According to DOE’s data, the Netherlands was the top destination for US LNG supplies in January-September with 373.4 Bcf or 111 cargoes, down by 18 percent year-on-year, while Japan took 254.7 Bcf or 78 cargoes, up by 9 percent year-on-year.
In 2023, the Netherlands was also the prime destination for US LNG cargoes with 588.6 Bcf, followed by France with 493.2 Bcf.
September LNG exports climb
The DOE report shows that the US exported 363 Bcf of LNG to 28 countries in September, up 4.8 percent from the same month last year and almost flat compared to the prior month.
In September, Europe again became the preferred destination for US LNG cargoes.
Europe received 160.9 Bcf (44.3 percent), Asia 148.4 Bcf (40.9 percent), Latin America/Caribbean 42.8 Bcf (11.8 percent), and Africa 11 Bcf (11.8 percent).
The DOE said that 86.2 percent of total LNG exports went to non-free trade agreement countries, while the remaining 13.8 percent went to free trade agreement countries.
Moreover, US terminals shipped 114 LNG cargoes in September, down from 120 LNG cargoes in August.
Cheniere’s Sabine Pass plant sent 37 cargoes, and its Corpus Christi terminal shipped 21 cargoes, while the Freeport LNG terminal sent 21 cargoes.
Sempra’s Cameron LNG plant shipped 18 cargoes, Venture Global’s Calcasieu plant sent 10 cargoes, the Cove Point LNG terminal dispatched 5 shipments, and Elba Island LNG sent 2 cargoes during the month under review.
The DOE also noted that NFE’s Altamira LNG terminal in Mexico shipped one cargo in September. This project receives feed gas from the US and Mexico.
Average price at 5.86/MMBtu
According to DOE’s report, the average price by export terminal reached 5.86/MMBtu in September.
This compares to 6.32/MMBtu in September 2023, while the average price was 5.55/MMBtu in August, 6.47/MMBtu in July, 6.32/MMBtu in June, 5.41/MMBtu in May, 5.25/MMBtu in April, $5.47/MMBtu in March, $6.31/MMBtu in February, and 6.63/MMBtu in January this year.
The most expensive average price in September came from Venture Global’s Calcasieu Pass terminal, and it reached $9.01/MMBtu.
Prices at other facilities ranged between $2.40/MMBtu (Elba Island) to $6.59/MMBtu (Altamira), the data shows.
6688 cargoes
The report said that from February 2016 through September 2024, the US exported 6688 cargoes or 21,139.2 Bcf to 41 countries.
The DOE data shows that South Korea remains the top destination for US LNG, with 650 cargoes, followed by Japan with 534 cargoes, France with 531 cargoes, the Netherlands with 500 cargoes, and the UK with 474 cargoes.
In addition to these five countries, Spain, China, India, Turkiye, and Brazil are in the top ten.