US liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports rose in the week ending March 27 compared to the week before, according to the Energy Information Administration.
The agency said in its weekly report that 22 LNG carriers departed the US plants between March 21 and March 27, one shipment more compared to the week before.
Citing shipping data provided by Bloomberg Finance, the EIA said the total capacity of these LNG vessels is 80 Bcf.
Average natural gas deliveries to US LNG export terminals were unchanged from last week, averaging 12.9 Bcf/d, according to data from S&P Global Commodity Insights.
Natural gas deliveries to terminals in South Louisiana and Texas were unchanged, averaging 8.8 Bcf/d and 2.9 Bcf/d, respectively.
Freeport LNG, south of Houston, Texas, has returned one train to service and taken two offline for maintenance and anticipates operating with only one liquefaction train until May, the agency noted.
The LNG terminal operator told LNG Prime last week that its third train is currently online and producing LNG, while the “train 2 liquefaction unit is now offline and our train 1 liquefaction unit will be taken down imminently.”
Natural gas deliveries to terminals outside the Gulf Coast were also flat at 1.2 Bcf/d.
Cheniere’s Sabine Pass plant shipped seven cargoes and the company’s Corpus Christi facility sent four shipments during the week under review.
Venture Global’s Calcasieu Pass LNG terminal also shipped four cargoes during the period, while Sempra Infrastructure’s Cameron LNG terminal shipped three cargoes and the Elba Island terminal sent two cargoes.
The Freeport LNG terminal and the Elba Island terminal each sent one cargo during the week under review.
Also, one LNG vessel with a carrying capacity of 3 Bcf docked for off-loading at the Everett LNG terminal in Boston Harbor in Massachusetts.
This report week, the Henry Hub spot price fell 13 cents from $1.5724 per million British thermal units (MMBtu) last Wednesday to $1.44/MMBtu this Wednesday.
The agency said the April 2024 NYMEX contract expired Tuesday at $1.575/MMBtu, down 12 cents from last Wednesday.
The May 2024 NYMEX contract price decreased to $1.718/MMBtu, down 13 cents from last Wednesday.
According to the EIA, the price of the 12-month strip averaging May 2024 through April 2025 futures contracts declined 9 cents to $2.728/MMBtu.
The agency said that international natural gas futures were mixed this report week.
Bloomberg Finance reported that weekly average front-month futures prices for LNG cargoes in East Asia increased 21 cents to a weekly average of $9.48/MMBtu.
Natural gas futures for delivery at the Dutch TTF decreased 11 cents to a weekly average of $8.74/MMBtu.
In the same week last year (week ending March 29, 2023), the prices were $12.72/MMBtu in East Asia and $13.47/MMBtu at TTF, the agency said.
