The United States is expected to keep the title as the world’s largest LNG exporter into next year after shipping out more cargoes than any other country during the first six months of 2023.

U.S. exports of liquefied natural gas averaged 11.6 Bcf/d from January to the end of July, boosted by the return of Freeport LNG in the spring, according to the Energy Information Administration’s (EIA) review of Cedigaz data. Average U.S. export volumes rose 4% compared to the same period last year, surpassing Australia at 10.6 Bcf/d and Qatar at 10.4 Bcf/d.

Despite a mild heating season and depressed natural gas consumption across most of western Europe, demand from the area helped drive the United States’ record output.

[What’s Coming? NGI’s North American LNG Project Tracker...