Natural gas exports are going way up this year

[dan_s]

Forbes: It's Full Speed Ahead For U.S. Natural Gas Exports .

Now poised for the biggest year ever in 2019, 2018 was a record breaking year for the emerging U.S. natural gas export business. Most recent U.S. Department of Energy data indicate that LNG exports hit a record of nearly 110 Bcf in November 2018. This is a 35% jump from November 2017, with so much more to come: "U.S. Liquefied Natural Gas Hits Record Highs Again. This year, we will pass Malaysia to become the world's third largest LNG exporter (Australia could surpass Qatar to take the top spot).

Currently larger than U.S. LNG sales, although holding less potential, piped U.S. gas to Mexico was also up 10-12% year-over-year. Around half of this came from two areas in South Texas, Rio Grande City and Roma. Top ranked for a long time, however, Mexico is now second to South Korea in LNG purchases from the U.S. flagship LNG terminal Sabine Pass in Louisiana (China is third). Gas to Mexico adds $6-8 billion to the U.S. economy each year and is a critical outlet so our natural gas prices do not sink to unsustainable levels and put shale producers out of business. Total U.S. LNG exports should surpass piped supplies to Mexico later this year. Outside of the shale revolution itself, burgeoning exports and thereby increased global competition for domestic users are perhaps the single largest transformation in the history of the U.S. natural gas market. Starting only in February 2016, U.S. LNG has already reached 33 nations.
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The U.S will have export capacity (pipelines + LNG facilities) of more than 15 Bcf per day by the end of 2020.