U.S. LNG exports, average prices climb in November

Liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports from the U.S. facilities have jumped in November 2020, according to the latest Department of Energy report.

The U.S. Department of Energy noted that a total of 87 cargoes of the chilled fuel departed the country’s export plants. This was 20 cargoes up on the previous month.

Out of the 87 November cargoes, Cheniere’s Sabine Pass and Corpus Christ facilities exported 30 and 14 cargoes, respectively. Cameron LNG plant shipped 18, while Freeport LNG plant added 5 cargoes. Cove Point shipped eight with Elba Island facility shipping two cargoes.

In terms of volume, November 2020 exports reached 280.6 billion cubic feet (Bcf), 26 per cent up on October volumes.

Compared to November 2019, U.S. LNG plants exported 30 cargoes more, with volumes up by 47.3 per cent.

South Korea was the top destination for U.S. LNG volumes receiving 49.1 Bcf, followed by China with 45.1 Bcf. Japan imported 33 Bcf of U.S. LNG with Brazil importing 30.2 Bcf. The United Kingdom receive 26.5 Bcf of U.S. LNG during November 2020.

The five countries represented 65.5 per cent of total U.S. LNG exports in November 2020.

The Department of Energy added that the average price of exported LNG jumped in November 2020, reaching $6.22 per mmBtu.

Since the United States started exporting domestically-produced LNG in February 2016, a total of 1,804 cargoes reached destinations in 35 countries. The total volume exported stood at over 5.87 Tcf at the end of November.

Additionally, 564 cargoes on ISO containers departed the United States during the same period adding a further 1.6 billion cubic feet of LNG also bumping the number of destinations to 38.

South Korea remains the top importer of U.S. LNG with 270 cargoes received totaling 939.2 Bcf. This corresponds to 16 per cent of total U.S. LNG exports.