WINNING: American LNG exports blow past 2016 tally.

April’s exports alone quintupled on the year to 50.6 billion cu. feet, according to data released at the end of June by the Energy Information Administration. Latin America and the Caribbean account for 44% of exports, and Asia for 28%, said Executive Vice President Anatol Feygin of Cheniere Energy, the sole company constructing and operating LNG export terminals in the lower 48 states.

The U.S. now exports its LNG to 23 countries. Poland began imports in June, and Japan’s Chubu Electric Power imported the first American LNG derived from shale gas in January.

The shale revolution has made the U.S. the world’s top producer of natural gas. The Obama administration greenlighted projects to help export LNG from the mainland, such as a Louisiana terminal that began exports in February 2016. By the end of last year, America had turned from an importer into a net exporter.

Its 2016 exports amounted to a paltry 4% of top exporter Qatar’s total, according to statistics from BP. But tougher competition will be unavoidable as more large-scale LNG export projects come online in the second half.

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