US natural gas futures ease as LNG export flows hit four-month low

SEATTLE (Oil Monster): U.S. ​natural gas futures eased on Tuesday as daily flows to liquefied natural gas export plants dropped to a four-month ‌low.

Front-month gas futures for July delivery on the New York Mercantile Exchange fell 1.2 cents, or 0.4%, to settle at $3.167 per million British thermal units.

Financial group LSEG said average gas output in the U.S. Lower 48 states fell to 108.8 billion cubic feet per day so far in June, down from 109.7 ​bcfd in May and a monthly record high of 110.6 bcfd in December 2025.

AMPLE GAS IN STORAGE

Analysts said mild spring ​weather allowed energy firms to stockpile more gas than usual.

But they noted recent output declines likely reduced the ⁠surplus of gas in inventories to around 5.9% above normal during the week ended May 29, down from 6.2% above normal the ​previous week.

Meteorologists forecast the weather would remain mostly warmer than normal through June 17, which should boost demand for gas from power generators ​to keep air conditioners humming. About 40% of U.S. electricity generation comes from gas-fired power plants.

LSEG projected average gas demand in the Lower 48 states, including exports, would rise from 98.2 bcfd this week to 101.0 bcfd next week. Those forecasts were similar to LSEG's outlook on Monday.

Average gas flows to the ​nine big U.S. LNG export plants fell from 17.1 bcfd in May to 16.0 bcfd so far in June due to spring ​maintenance at several plants, including ExxonMobil /QatarEnergy's Golden Pass facility and Freeport LNG's plant in Texas. That compares with a monthly record high of 18.8 bcfd in ‌April.

On a ⁠daily basis, LNG feedgas was on track to drop to a four-month low of 15.7 bcfd on Tuesday.

Courtesy: www.pipeline-journal.net