U.S. LNG Exports Jump 23% in H1 2026

U.S. liquefied natural gas exports averaged 17.4 billion cubic feet per day in the first six months of 2026. This represents a 23% increase compared to the same period in 2025, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration's Natural Gas Monthly.

The agency's latest Short-Term Energy Outlook projects exports will average 17.3 Bcf/d in the second half of this year. A further rise to 18.7 Bcf/d is forecast for the first half of 2027.

U.S. Natural Gas Production Hits Record

The EIA's August 2026 Short-Term Energy Outlook forecasts U.S. marketed natural gas production will average 122.5 billion cubic feet per day this year. This surpasses the previous annual record of 118.5 Bcf/d set in 2025.

Well operators in the Permian region of western Texas and eastern New Mexico are extracting more oil and gas. They are achieving this by drilling longer, horizontal wells and increasingly using so-called super-lateral wells that exceed 15,000 feet in length.

Energy Trade with Canada Declines in Value

The total value of energy trade between the United States and Canada fell by 11% in 2025 to an estimated $137 billion, according to U.S. Census Bureau data cited by the EIA. Most of this trade value, $111 billion, came from U.S. energy imports from Canada. U.S. energy exports to Canada totaled $26 billion last year.

Crude oil accounted for 69% of the total energy trade value between the two countries in 2025. Despite the overall decline, the trade value of natural gas and electricity increased slightly, primarily due to higher natural gas prices and trade volume.

Battery Storage Capacity Grows Rapidly

Utility-scale battery storage capacity in the United States has grown at an average annual rate of 70% over the last three years. By the end of 2025, operational battery storage capacity reached 43.6 gigawatts.

Operators added another 8.3 GW of capacity during the first six months of 2026. This brought the nation's total nameplate battery storage capacity to nearly 52 GW, based on the EIA's Preliminary Monthly Electric Generator Inventory.

Texas Grid Demand Hits Record

Hourly peak load in the Electric Reliability Council of Texas reached a record 91.1 gigawatts on July 22, 2026. ERCOT is the regional transmission organization serving most of Texas. The data was reported to the EIA for its Hourly Electric Grid Monitor.

In contrast, customers in Puerto Rico experienced an average of 36 hours of power interruptions in 2025 that were not caused by major events like hurricanes. This was 19% more than in 2024. Between 2021 and 2025, Puerto Rican customers averaged 29 hours of power loss annually. Electricity customers in the mainland United States generally experience about two hours of such interruptions per year.