Oman LNG exports reach 11.9 million tonnes

MUSCAT: Oman exported 11.9 million tonnes of liquefied natural gas in 2025, ranking as the world’s eighth-largest LNG supplier and accounting for 2.7 per cent of global trade, according to the International Gas Union’s 2026 World LNG Report.
The volume exceeded the Sultanate of Oman’s installed liquefaction capacity of 10.4 million tonnes per annum, placing its three-train Oman LNG complex among the industry’s strongest-performing facilities. The report’s capacity-utilisation chart showed Oman operating above its nominal capacity during the year.
Oman’s exports came as global LNG trade rose 6.3 per cent to a record 436.98 million tonnes, connecting 24 exporting markets with 50 importing markets. The United States remained the largest exporter with 110.74 million tonnes, followed by Qatar with 81.51 million tonnes and Australia with 80.32 million tonnes.
The Middle East supplied 98.03 million tonnes in 2025, an increase of 3.8 million tonnes from the previous year, supported mainly by higher Qatari output. Oman represented about 12 per cent of the region’s LNG exports, based on figures in the report.
The IGU listed Oman LNG’s two original trains, commissioned in 2000, at 3.55 million tonnes per annum each, while the third Qalhat train, commissioned in 2006, has capacity of 3.30 million tonnes per annum. Together, the trains form the country’s 10.4-million-tonne annual export base.
The report also identified 1 million tonnes per annum of approved liquefaction capacity in Oman at the end of 2025, equal to 0.4 per cent of the global approved project pipeline. A further 3.8 million tonnes per annum was listed at the pre-final investment decision stage, representing 0.3 per cent of proposed global capacity.
Those projects could strengthen Oman’s position as buyers seek more geographically diversified LNG supplies. The report said geopolitical uncertainty surrounding the Strait of Hormuz and damage to liquefaction facilities elsewhere in the Gulf could renew interest in projects offering more stable supply routes.
Oman’s LNG facilities at Qalhat, on the Arabian Sea coast, are located outside the Strait of Hormuz, giving the country direct access to international shipping routes without requiring cargoes to transit the waterway. That position has gained importance as supply disruptions in early 2026 increased competition for flexible cargoes and pushed Asian benchmark prices sharply higher.
The Platts JKM benchmark averaged $12.16 per million British thermal units in 2025, up 2.1 per cent from 2024. It then surged nearly 70 per cent to $25.39 on March 3, 2026, as Middle East disruptions tightened supply and increased hedging activity.
Global liquefaction capacity reached 524.5 million tonnes per annum at the end of 2025, while average utilisation slipped to 83.9 per cent. Against that backdrop, Oman’s above-nameplate performance highlighted the reliability and commercial importance of its established LNG infrastructure.
The report said 68.4 million tonnes per annum of new liquefaction capacity received final investment approval globally in 2025, the highest level since 2019. It added that investment, technology selection, emissions performance and construction efficiency would remain central to competition among future LNG projects worldwide.