(Reuters) – The U.S. has become the first country to export 10 million metric tonnes (mmt) of liquefied natural gas in a single month, according to preliminary data from financial firm LSEG. The U.S. exported a record 10.1 mmt of the liquid fuel in October, up from a revised figure of 9.1 mmt in September, LSEG data showed. Already the world’s largest LNG exporter, the U.S. has been ramping up sales with four record-setting months in 2025. The surge was led by the start-up of Venture Global’s Plaquemines export plant and the ramp-up of Cheniere’s Corpus Christi Stage 3 project, the data showed. The Plaquemines facility, located in Louisiana, sold 2.2 mmt last month, surpassing its previous high of 1.6 mmt in September, the data showed. 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 combined 4.2 mmt, or 42% of all of the LNG exported by the U.S. When completed, the Corpus Christi Stage 3 operation will allow Cheniere to export more than 50 million metric tonnes per year starting in 2026, CEO Jack Fusco said in a recent earnings call.
Venture Global and Cheniere were responsible for 72% of the country’s total exports in October, LSEG data showed.
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EUROPE IS THE BIGGEST CUSTOMER
Europe remained the prime destination for U.S. LNG, with 6.9 mmt, or nearly 69% of total exports, heading to the continent last month. That figure compares with 6.22 mmt in September, as Europe continued to fill storage ahead of the winter, LSEG ship tracking data showed. U.S. LNG exports to Asia last month stood at 1.96 mmt compared to 1.63 mmt in September, the ship tracking data showed. U.S. LNG exports to Latin America fell in October to 0.57 mmt, down from September’s 0.63 mmt, as the South American continent prepares to enter warmer summer months, LSEG ship-tracking data show. Egypt, meanwhile, bought five cargoes for a total of 0.43 mmt, less than the 0.5 mmt it purchased in September, the data showed. There were two cargoes that went to Senegal for a total of 0.1 mmt, and two that were seeking orders from customers for another 0.1 mmt, according to LSEG ship-tracking data.
In October, gas traded at $10.88 per million British thermal units at the European benchmark Dutch Title Transfer Facility, down from $11.13 in September. At the Japan Korea Marker benchmark in Asia, October’s average price was $11.11, compared to $11.32 in September.
The TTF and JKM prices were so close that they provided little incentive for U.S. LNG exporters to shift from selling to the European market to the more distant Asian market.
Reporting by Curtis Williams in Houston; Editing by Nathan Crooks and Paul Simao
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