Viewpoint: US gas output set to outstrip export gains

Viewpoint: US gas output set to outstrip export gains

Houston, 22 December (Argus) — US natural gas production this winter will likely outstrip increases in LNG exports, reversing a trend that led to higher prices in 2021.

US LNG exports, a key driver of the rally in Nymex gas prices over the past year, are expected to increase further this winter because of additional liquefaction capacity along the Gulf coast and as service begins at the 1.6 Bcf/d (45mn m³/d) Calcasieu Pass terminal in Louisiana.

Capacity at Cheniere Energy's Sabine Pass export terminal in Louisiana will rise to about 4.6 Bcf/d through facility modifications and as train 6 reaches full service, according to the US Energy Information Administration (EIA). Federal regulators also authorized Cheniere to boost output from Corpus Christi LNG by 14pc, lifting capacity there to 2.4 Bcf/d. The first LNG cargo from train 6 at Sabine Pass and the first LNG from Calcasieu Pass are expected before the end of this year.