Global gas exporting countries 2023

The United States was the world’s leading exporter of natural gas in 2023, exporting 89.1 billion cubic meters of gas via pipelines and 114.4 billion cubic meters of liquefied natural gas (LNG). Russia was the second-largest natural gas exporter globally, followed by Qatar and Norway. Pipeline vs LNG exportsAmong other top natural gas exporters, Canada is one of only two countries relying exclusively on pipelines. Pipelines are considered the safest means of transporting gaseous fuels, however, their use is often limited to shorter distances over land. As such, the United States is Canada's only direct trading partner for natural gas. Pipelines are also the most common form of moving gas across the European continent, with the majority of Russian natural gas exports ending in European consumer markets. LNG on the other hand is mostly used in inter-continental exports to destinations far removed from large-scale producing sites. Japan, China, and South Korea make up more than half of the LNG import market share worldwide. Natural gas liquefactionWhen pipeline transport is not feasible, natural gas is liquified to be transported over long distances. During this process, natural gas is cooled down to minus 160 degrees Celsius, which results in a reduction of its volume by around 600-fold. Natural gas was first transported in its liquid stage in the late 1950s. In 2023, the United States was the country with the largest operating LNG export capacity worldwide, Australia came in second place. Also, the country with the leading LNG export capacity under development was United States.

2023年，美国成为世界最大的天然气出口国，通过管道出口天然气890.1亿立方米，通过液化天然气（LNG）出口1144亿立方米。俄罗斯是全球第二大天然气出口国，其后依次为卡塔尔和挪威。在众多顶级天然气出口国中，加拿大是仅有的两个完全依赖管道的国家之一。管道被视为运输气态燃料最安全的手段，但其使用往往局限于陆地上的较短距离。因此，美国是加拿大唯一的天然气直接贸易伙伴。管道也是将天然气运送到欧洲大陆最常见的方式，大多数俄罗斯天然气出口最终进入欧洲消费市场。另一方面，LNG主要用于跨越大陆的出口，目的地远离大规模生产地。日本、中国和韩国占据了全球超过一半的LNG进口市场份额。在管道运输不可行时，天然气会被液化以实现长途运输。在此过程中，天然气被冷却至零下160摄氏度，其体积大约减少600倍。天然气首次在1950年代末以液态形式进行运输。至2023年，美国是全球运营的LNG出口能力最大的国家，澳大利亚位居第二。此外，正在开发的LNG出口能力领先的国家也是美国。