US natgas prices edge up as heat wave lifts power demand for air conditioning

In other LNG news, the Al Fat'h LNG tanker was on track to reach China on July 16 with a load of fuel from U.S. energy firm Venture Global LNG's Plaquemines export plant in Louisiana. The vessel left the U.S. in early June. So far, no LNG tanker has left a U.S. export plant and gone directly to China during U.S. President Donald Trump's second term, which started in January 2025, due primarily to trade disputes between the world's two biggest economies. China, which imported a large amount of U.S. gas in the past and has many contracts to buy U.S. LNG, is the world's biggest gas importer, while the U.S. is the world's biggest gas producer, consumer and exporter. Chinese companies have bought U.S. LNG and then sold it to buyers in other countries. Financial group LSEG said average gas output in the U.S. Lower 48 states has risen to **110.1 billion cubic feet per day** so far in July, up from **110.0 bcfd** in June, but has remained below the monthly record high of **110.6 bcfd** in December 2025. Analysts said mostly mild weather during the spring allowed energy firms to stockpile more gas than usual. As they wait for a federal report on Thursday, they projected the amount of gas in storage eased to **6.4% above normal** during the week ended July 10, down from **6.6%** during the previous week. Meteorologists forecast the weather would remain mostly warmer than normal through July 30, forcing power generators to burn lots of gas to keep air conditioners humming. About **40% of U.S. power generation** comes from gas-fired plants. LSEG projected average gas demand in the Lower 48 states, including exports, would slide from **111.1 bcfd** this week to **110.4 bcfd** next week. The forecast for this week was higher than LSEG's outlook on Tuesday. Average gas flows to the nine big U.S. LNG export plants have risen to **17.5 bcfd** so far in July, up from **17.4 bcfd** in June, but have remained below the monthly record high of **18.8 bcfd** in April. On a daily basis, however, LNG feedgas was on track to drop to a five-week low of **16.8 bcfd** on Wednesday due mostly to a reduction in flows to Freeport LNG's **2.4-bcfd** export plant in Texas for planned work from July 10 to late August. U.S. natural gas futures edged up on Wednesday as a heat wave blanketed the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic regions, boosting power generator demand for gas to keep air conditioners humming. Front-month gas futures for August delivery on the New York Mercantile Exchange rose 2 cents, or 0.7%, to settle at **$2.924 per million British thermal units (mmBtu)**. Meteorologists forecast temperatures would top **90 degrees Fahrenheit (32.2 degrees Celsius)** in many parts of the country on Wednesday, including New York and Chicago. That forecast compares with normal highs of around **85 F** in both cities at this time of year, according to weather forecaster AccuWeather. As homes and businesses crank up their air conditioners to escape the heat, next-day power prices at the PJM Western Hub jumped **178%** to around **$420 per megawatt hour**. The PJM Western Hub is located mostly in western Pennsylvania and the District of Columbia/Maryland metro area.

US natgas prices edge up as heat wave lifts power demand for air conditioning

Venture Global cargo heads to China

Supply, storage and LNG export updates

Natural gas futures rise on heat-driven power demand

Hot weather lifts electricity prices and gas consumption

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