US Maintains High LNG Exports Amid Middle East Conflict

MOSCOW, June 24. /TASS/. The United States maintained liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports at a high level of 537.9 bln cubic feet (15.2 bln cubic meters) amid the Middle East conflict in April 2026, according to the monthly report from the US Department of Energy.

Europe once again became the primary destination of supplies, while Egypt was the leading purchaser for the first time since July 2025.

LNG exports in April were 6% lower than in March and 20% higher than in April 2025. A total of 161 LNG tankers were shipped. In particular, the first shipments were made from the Golden Pass LNG plant of the American ExxonMobil and Qatari QatarEnergy in Texas.

The main supply destinations were Egypt (57 bln cubic feet, or 1.6 bln cubic meters), the Netherlands (54.1 bln cubic feet, or 1.53 bln cubic meters), Italy (52.3 bln cubic feet, or 1.48 bln cubic meters), France (46.5 bln cubic feet, or 1.31 bln cubic meters), and India (39.9 bln cubic feet, or 1.13 bln cubic meters). These countries accounted for 46.4% of all US supplies.

The share of shipments to Asia in total US LNG exports increased to 30.3% in April, compared to 24.4% in March, according to the report. Shipments to Asia continued to grow amid the ongoing Middle East crisis and the withdrawal of LNG supplies from Qatar and the UAE. The share of shipments to Europe decreased to 54.6% in April. The remaining volumes were sent to Latin America and Africa.

In January-April 2025, the United States exported around 2.144 trillion cubic feet (60.7 bln cubic meters) of LNG, up 24% from the same period last year. The United States exported 40.9 bln cubic meters of LNG to Europe (67% of the total volume) and roughly 11.8 bln cubic meters (19.5% of the total volume) to Asia. Thus, deliveries to Europe and Asia gained 10% and 60% compared to the same period in 2025, respectively.

The transportation of American LNG to Africa increased 3.1-fold to 5.6 bln cubic meters.