US LNG Exports Rise By 23 Percent in First Half of 2026

With the expansion of liquefied natural gas (LNG) export terminal capacity, export volumes rose by 23 percent in the first half of 2026 compared to the same period last year.

In the first six months of this year, U.S. LNG exports averaged 17.4 billion cubic feet per day (Bcf/d), the Energy Information Administration (EIA) said on Tuesday.

LNG export volume increased at the fastest rate since the United States began large-scale exports in 2016, the EIA said.

Louisiana-based Plaquemines LNG export terminal came online in December 2024. Texas-based Corpus Christi expanded its export facilities, producing its first LNG cargo in February 2025. These terminals, when they are complete, will contribute 4 Bcf/d.

In addition, Texas-based Golden Pass LNG began exporting from April this year, adding 0.7 Bcf/d.

Elevated global LNG prices in the first half incentivized companies to push U.S. exports to near maximum export levels, the EIA said.

About 20 percent of global LNG flows passed through the Strait of Hormuz before the U.S.–Iran war. The disruption of shipping through the strait and the damage to LNG export facilities in the region has been one factor in an increased demand for U.S. LNG.

“Exports to both Europe and Asia were both higher on a volume basis,” the EIA said. “Exports to Latin America and the Caribbean and the Middle East and North Africa rose.”

EIA expects U.S. LNG exports to average 17.3 Bcf/d in the second half of the year, rising to 18.7 Bcf/d in the first half of 2027.

In July, S&P Global said that LNG is set to become the second-largest net export industry for the United States within the next five years, contributing $1.4 trillion to the country’s GDP through 2040, and supporting 550,000 jobs annually.

Boosting US Exports

The jump in LNG exports comes as the Trump administration has taken several steps to develop the industry.

On the first day of his second term, President Donald Trump directed the Department of Energy (DOE) to end a pause on pending LNG export terminals that the Biden administration had implemented in early 2024.

The DOE has approved roughly 22.3 Bcf/d of non-Free Trade Agreement LNG export authorizations since January 2025, it said in August.

Energy Secretary Chris Wright signed agreements in Central and Eastern Europe, where they seek to build more natural gas infrastructure to support the expansion of American LNG imports.

“The economic gains in terms of jobs, GDP and labor income are on track to surpass all prior expectations, while the abundance of U.S. gas resources means that domestic prices remain among the lowest in the world,” Daniel Yergin, vice chairman at S&P Global, said in a statement in July.