U.S. LNG exports hit new high as Turkey buys big

By Alton Wallace
The Center Square

U.S. LNG exports reached a fresh record of 525.1 million cubic feet in November, with shipments to trade partners including Turkey, Egypt and several European nations, according to data release Friday by the Department of Energy.

Overseas shipments of American LNG in November were up 21.9 million cubic feet, or by 4.3%, from 503.2 million cubic feet in the prior month.

Egypt imported 61.4 million cubic feet in November as the country’s shipments of American gas in the first 11 months of 2025 reached a total of 388.2 million cubic feet, up by 260% from 107.7 million cubic feet during the same period in 2024.

Egypt, which imported no U.S. LNG in 2023, received more American gas in the first 11 months of 2025 than all other American trade partners other than the Netherlands and France.

Turkey imported the most U.S. LNG of any country in November, with inbound shipments of American gas totaling 69.6 million cubic feet. The country imported 267.1 million cubic feet of U.S. LNG in 2025 through end of November, up 81% from the same period in 2024.

In the last six months, Turkish officials have signed several long-term deals with U.S. energy companies and global traders, mostly intended to replace pipeline gas from Russia and Iran. Russia supplied about 45% of Turkey’s gas demand in the first half of 2025, according to a report in Reuters.

In September 2025, Turkey’s state-owned BOTAŞ signed a deal with Mercuria to import roughly 4 billion cubic meters of U.S.-sourced LNG annually starting in 2026. The agreement covers a total of approximately 70 billion cubic meters over 20 years.

Over the last 18 months, BOTAŞ has finalized major long-term supply contracts with Shell, TotalEnergies and Woodside for up to 12.4 billion cubic meters annually along with a deal signed with ExxonMobil calling for 2.5 million metric tons per annum. These deals are linked to a goal set by Presidents Erdoğan and Trump in September to reach $100 billion in bilateral trade.

The largest importer of U.S. LNG on an annual basis, the Netherlands, received 43.6 million cubic feet of American gas in November, with total inbound shipments during the first 11 months of 2025 hitting 602.6 million cubic feet, up 38% from 435.5 million cubic feet in the same period in 2024.

France, currently the second biggest buyer of U.S. LNG on an annual basis, received 38 million cubic feet of American gas during the month, as its imports reached 494.3 million cubic feet in the first 11 months of 2025, up 58% from the same period in 2024.

The fourth most popular destination for U.S. LNG during the first 11 months of 2025, Spain, has received 340.1 million cubic feet so far in 2025, following a 2024 in which the country’s imports of American gas dropped sharply during a warm winter.

Germany, the fifth biggest importer of U.S. LNG on an annual basis, received 304.9 million cubic feet of LNG in the first 11 months 2025, up from same period last year but down from 390 million cubic feet at the same time in 2023.