LNG Exports Could Add $1.4 Trillion to U.S. GDP by 2040, Study Finds

U.S. LNG exports could generate $1.4 trillion in economic output through 2040, with new projections pointing to significant investment, rising feedgas demand and growing global market share.

(Reuters) — Liquefied natural gas is poised to become the United States' second-largest net export industry within five years, adding nearly $1.4 trillion to its gross domestic product through 2040, according to an S&P Global Energy study.

In 2025, the country became the first to export more than 100 million metric tons of LNG in one year, as new plants helped production.

• The S&P study forecast total investments across the U.S. LNG supply chain to exceed $1 trillion through 2040, with a funding surge after the lifting of last year's export "pause."
• It estimated LNG export to generate $2.9 trillion in revenue, $206 billion of taxes and nearly $630 billion in labor income.
• It projected a 1.6% rise in domestic average household gas costs between 2026 and 2031.
• The export surge is set to double feedgas demand to 36 billion cubic feet per day by 2031, the report said.
• U.S. LNG can account for a third of the global market in five years, it added.
• Prices in Europe and Asia could jump by 50% if the new U.S. export capacity is not realized, the study predicted.
• It added that U.S. LNG exports could help stabilize domestic markets during peak demand, while infrastructure constraints remain the main driver of regional price volatility.