The US became the first country to export 10 million tonnes (mt) of liquefied natural gas in a single month, according to preliminary data from financial firm LSEG.
The US exported a record 10.1 mt of the fuel in October, up from a revised figure of 9.1 mt in September, LSEG data showed. Already the world's largest LNG exporter, the US has been ramping up sales with four record-setting months in 2025.
The surge was led by the start-up of Venture Global's Plaquemines export plant and the ramp-up of Cheniere's Corpus Christi Stage 3 project, the data showed. The Plaquemines facility, located in Louisiana, sold 2.2 mt last month, surpassing its previous high of 1.6 mt in September.
Cheniere's Corpus Christi export facility exported 1.6 mt, also a record for the plant. With Sabine Pass exporting 2.6 mt in October, the company sold a combined 4.2 mt, or 42 per cent of all of the LNG exported by the US.
When completed, the Corpus Christi Stage 3 operation will allow Cheniere to export more than 50 million tonnes per year starting in 2026, CEO Jack Fusco said in a recent earnings call.
Venture Global and Cheniere were responsible for 72 per cent of the country's total exports in October.
Europe remained the prime destination for US LNG, with 6.9 mt, or nearly 69 per cent of total exports, heading to the continent last month. That figure compares with 6.22 mt in September, as Europe continued to fill storage ahead of the winter, LSEG ship tracking data showed.
US LNG exports to Asia last month stood at 1.96 mt compared to 1.63 mt in September. US LNG exports to Latin America fell in October to 0.57 mt, down from September's 0.63 mt, as the South American continent prepares to enter warmer summer months.
Egypt, meanwhile, bought five cargoes for a total of 0.43 mt, less than the 0.5 mt it purchased in September. There were two cargoes that went to Senegal for a total of 0.1 mt, and two that were seeking orders from customers for another 0.1 mt.
In October, gas traded at $10.88 per million British thermal units at the European benchmark Dutch Title Transfer Facility , down from $11.13 in September. At the Japan Korea Marker benchmark in Asia, October's average price was $11.11, compared to $11.32 in September.
The TTF and JKM prices were so close that they provided little incentive for U.S. LNG exporters to shift from selling to the European market to the more distant Asian market.
(Reporting by Curtis Williams in Houston; Editing by Nathan Crooks and Paul Simao)