(The Center Square) – U.S. liquefied natural gas exports are projected to nearly double by 2031, becoming the nation’s second-largest net export industry and adding an estimated $1.4 trillion to the economy, according to a new S&P Global Energy study.
U.S. liquefied natural gas exports totaled $44 billion in 2025, accounting for 30% of the global market and surpassing major agricultural exports such as corn and soybeans, the report said. Only the civilian aircraft and parts industry will export more in 2031 than U.S. LNG producers.
The revolution in U.S. shale drilling that began around 2008 unlocked cheap gas supply, but regional policies and pipeline bottlenecks have created price differentials, particularly in Northeastern markets, according to the research firm. New pipelines and improvements to those already existing could materially ease peak winter prices by over 20% in Northeast markets by 2031, the research firm said in the report.
The S&P Global analysts said U.S. LNG production is a vital geopolitical safeguard, keeping global energy secure during times of crisis. Without U.S. supply, European allies would struggle to maintain import bans on Russian gas, potentially shifting up to $76 billion to foreign adversaries and non-U.S. fossil fuel suppliers by 2031, the analysts warned.
Despite expanding international demand, the report projects the U.S. gas market will remain insulated from global shocks, keeping American household energy costs stable with only a 1.6% price increase through 2031.
A 600-mile strip of coastline along the Gulf Coast in Texas, Louisiana, and Mississippi will receive the bulk of about $1 trillion of direct value-chain investment that will support an average of 555,000 annual jobs, according to the analysis.
These investments build on 15 years of rapid growth in U.S. natural gas production that fueled a $515 billion total contribution to the domestic economy. The abundant gas supply has also driven a 30% increase in industrial gas demand since 2005, which replaced enough aging coal plants to slash U.S. power sector emissions by roughly 40%, according to the analysis.
The S&P analysts project this multi-billion dollar building boom will peak in the mid-2030s as developers look to invest in more Gulf Coast gas infrastructure in the years ahead.