United States LNG exports increased by 49% in 2021, as new LNG liquefaction plants were commissioned.

Despite a growing worldwide demand, LNG exports from 10 top producers showed a significant upwards trend only in the USA (+49%) and Algeria (+16%). United States LNG trade balance significantly evolved (+51%) as the country increased its exports due to new liquefaction plants and further exports permits granted, and meanwhile decreased its imports (-56%). Asian LNG net exports continue to grow with +7.6% in 2021, driven by the surge in Chinese and South Korean net imports (+20% and +15%) which overreached the lower imports from Japan and India (-6.4% and -3.4%). Latin America turns to net importer with Brazilian LNG imports more than tripling (mainly for use in the power sector where 1.5 GW of gas-fired power plant were commissionned), counterbalancing the fall of Mexican imports (divided by 4). In Europe, net imports strongly declined in the Netherlands (-37%) and in the UK (-21%), whereas Turkish net imports increased by 22%.