Explore Leading LNG Powerhouse Countries in Asia

Asia’s leading LNG powerhouse countries play a vital role in the global liquefied natural gas (LNG) market.

Several Asian countries are key exporters (producers) and importers (consumers).

These countries drive demand and supply, influencing LNG pricing and infrastructure development worldwide.

Leading LNG Powerhouse Countries in Asia

Asia remains the global epicentre of LNG trade, with Qatar, Australia, and Russia leading as top exporters. At the same time, China, Japan, and South Korea dominate as importers. The LNG market in Asia is evolving, with new players like India, Pakistan, Vietnam, and Bangladesh increasing demand.

Here’s a look at Asia’s top LNG powerhouse countries in details

Major LNG Exporters (Producers)

These countries have abundant natural gas reserves and advanced LNG infrastructure, making them key suppliers to global markets.

Qatar (The Global LNG Powerhouse in Asia)

• Location: Ras Laffan Industrial City
• Operators:
  • Qatar Energy: largest LNG producer
  • Key International Partners: ExxonMobil, Shell, Total Energies, ConocoPhillips, Mitsubishi Corporation & Marubeni Corporation.
• Production Capacity:
  • 77 million metric tons per annum
  • Expanding its North Field to increase LNG production capacity to 110 million tonnes by 2025 and potentially 126 million tonnes by 2027
  • LNG Trains: 14 (each train processes natural gas into LNG).
• Key Gas Fields: North Field, the world’s largest natural gas field Offshore Persian Gulf, shared between Qatar and Iran
• Proven Gas Reserves: 900 Trillion Cubic Feet, 3rd largest after Russia and Iran
• Key Export Markets:
  • Asia (Largest Market): Japan, China, India, Taiwan, Indonesia, and South Korea
  • Europe: United Kingdom, Italy, Germany, Spain
  • Americas: Mexico
  • Emerging buyers: Pakistan, Brazil, & Thailand
• Shipping & Transport
  • LNG Fleet: The world’s largest fleet, with over 70 LNG carriers.
  • New Orders: Over 100+ LNG ships are under construction in South Korea and China.
• Strategic Moves:
  • Secured 27-year contracts with China and expanded deals in Germany & France
  • Expansion of the North Field East & South projects

Qatar is the leading LNG powerhouse in Asia & the Middle East. It is the largest LNG producer and exporter in the Middle East & the world. Qatar shares borders with Saudi Arabia on the Arabian Peninsula’s northeast coast. Also, it shares sea borders on the Persian Gulf with the United Arab Emirates and Iran. Consequently, the country is strategically positioned to export LNG to Europe, Asia, and the Americas. As an LNG powerhouse, in 2023, Qatar exported 79.8 million tons of LNG to clients worldwide. Out of the 79.8 million tons, 15.1 million tons (19%) went to Europe via the Suez Canal. Qatar prefers long-term LNG supply contracts over spot market sales.

Australia (Second Largest LNG Exporter)

• Locations
  • Western Australia: North West Shelf, Gorgon, Wheatstone, Pluto, & Prelude FLNG
  • Queensland: Gladstone, Queensland Curtis, & Australia Pacific
  • Northern Territory: Ichthys & Darwin
• Operators:
  • Western Australia: North West Shelf (Woodside Energy), Gorgon LNG (Chevron), Wheatstone (Chevron), Pluto LNG (Woodside Energy), & Prelude FLNG (Shell)
  • Queensland: Gladstone (Santos, Petronas, TotalEnergies, and KOGAS), Queensland Curtis (Shell), & Australia Pacific (ConocoPhillips, Origin Energy, and Sinopec)
  • Northern Territory: Ichthys (INPEX) & Darwin (Santos)
• Production Capacity: ~80-90 MTPA.
  • Western Australia: North West Shelf (16.9), Gorgon (15.6), Wheatstone (8.9), Pluto (4.9), & Prelude FLNG (3.6)
  • Queensland: Gladstone (7.8), Queensland Curtis (8.5), Australia Pacific (9.0)
  • Northern Territory: Ichthys (8.9) & Darwin (3.7)
• Key Gas Fields: 
  • Gorgon LNG: Gorgon & Jansz-lo fields
  • Ichthys LNG: Gas condensate field in the Browse Basin
  • Wheatstone LNG: Wheatstone, Lago, Julimar, and Brunello gas fields
  • Pluto LNG: Pluto and Xena gas fields
  • North West Shelf LNG: North Rankin, Goodwyn, and Perseus gas fields
• Proven Gas Reserves: 114 trillion cubic feet
• Key Export Markets: Japan, China, India, Taiwan, Indonesia, and South Korea.

Australia is one of the world’s leading LNG powerhouses in Asia, along with Qatar, with abundant natural gas reserves and large-scale LNG projects. It exported about 81.1 million tons of LNG in 2023. Major LNG Projects in Australia include the Gorgon LNG Project, Australia Pacific LNG, the North West Shelf Project, and others. Australia’s LNG gas source comes from offshore and onshore natural gas fields, primarily in Western Australia, the Northern Territory, and Queensland.

Russia (Growing LNG Powerhouse in Asia)

• Locations
  • Arctic: Yamal (Yamal Peninsula – operational), Obsky (Yamal-Nenets region – planned) & Arctic LNG 2 (Gydan Peninsula – Under construction)
  • Far East: Sakhalin-II (Sakhalin Island – operational)
  • Baltic: Baltic (Leningrad Oblast – Under development)
• Operators:
  • Artic: Yamal (Novatek, TotalEnergies, CNPC, and Silk Road Fund as partners), Obsky (Novatek) & Arctic LNG 2 (Novatek)
  • Far East: Sakhalin-II (Gazprom)
  • Baltic:Baltic (Gazprom)
• Production Capacity (MTPA): ~35-40 MTPA (expanding projects).
• Key Gas Fields: 
  • Yamal LNG: South Tambey gas field (Yamal Peninsula)
  • Arctic LNG 2: Utrenneye gas field (Gydan Peninsula)
  • Sakhalin-2 LNG: Piltun-Astokhskoye and Lunskoye fields (Sakhalin Island)
  • Baltic LNG: Western Siberia (Nadym-Pur-Taz region)
  • Obsk LNG: Verkhnetiuteyskoye and Zapadno-Seyakhinskoye fields
• Proven Gas Reserves: Russia has the largest natural gas reserves in the world at 1,680 TCF
• Key Export Markets: 
  • Before 2022: Russia exported LNG mainly to Europe, China, South Korea, Japan, and India.
  • After 2022 Sanctions:
    • Europe has reduced LNG purchases but still imports some Russian LNG.
    • China & India increased LNG imports from Russia.
    • Russia is expanding LNG trade with Türkiye, UAE, and other Asian markets.
• LNG Transport & Shipping
  • Northern Sea Route (NSR): Used for year-round LNG exports to Asia via Arctic waters.
  • Ice-Class LNG Carriers: Russia has specialized LNG tankers that operate in Arctic conditions.
  • New LNG Tanker Orders: Russia is building LNG carriers in South Korea and Russia to expand shipping capacity.

Russia is one of the world’s top liquefied natural gas (LNG) export powerhouse in Asia. Primary LNG production comes from the Arctic, Western Siberia, and Far East gas fields. The country’s LNG industry is dominated by Novatek, Gazprom, and Rosneft, with key export markets in China, India, and Europe (despite sanctions). Russia exported 33.6 million tons of liquefied natural gas (LNG) in 2024. However, international sanctions following the conflict in Ukraine have posed challenges to Russia’s LNG projects, affecting financing and technology access.

Malaysia (Leading LNG Exporter in Southeast Asia)

• Locations: Bintulu, Sarawak, Malaysia
• Operators:
  • MLNG Satu: Petronas (90%), Mitsubishi (5%), and the Sarawak State Government (5%).
  • MLNG Dua: Petronas (60%), Mitsubishi (15%), Shell (15%), and the Sarawak State Government (10%).
  • MLNG Tiga: Petronas (60%), Shell (15%), Nippon Oil (10%), Sarawak State Government (10%), and Mitsubishi (5%).
  • Petronas LNG Train 9: Petronas (90%) and Nippon Oil (10%).
• Production Capacity: ~30 MTPA.
• Key LNG Fields:
  • Sarawak Gas Basin – Offshore Sarawak (largest gas reserves).
  • Sabah Gas Fields – Offshore Sabah.
  • Peninsular Malaysia Fields – Offshore Terengganu.
• Proven Gas Reserves: 32 trillion cubic feet (TCF).
• Key Export Markets: Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, China, and other Asian countries.

Malaysia is one of the world’s top liquefied natural gas (LNG) export powerhouses in Asia. Petrona dominates the country’s LNG industry, with key export markets in Japan, China, India, and Taiwan.

Indonesia (Long-time LNG Exporter)

• Production Capacity: ~15-20 MTPA.
• Key LNG Projects & Locations:
  • Tangguh LNG: West Papua
  • Abadi LNG: Masela Block, Maluku
  • Bontang LNG: Situated in East Kalimantan
  • Donggi Senoro LNG: Operating in Central Sulawesi,
• Operators:
  • Pertamina: Indonesia’s state-owned oil and gas company
  • BP: Tangguh LNG Operator
  • Inpex Corporation: Abadi LNG Developer
  • PT Donggi Senoro LNG: Donggi Senoro Operator
• Key Markets: Japan, China, South Korea, Bangladesh.
• Proven Gas Reserves: 35 trillion cubic feet (TCF).

Major LNG Importers (Consumers)

These countries are the biggest consumers of LNG, driven by power generation, industrial demand, and energy security.

China (World’s Largest LNG Importer)

• Annual LNG Imports: ~78-80 MTPA (2023).
• Leading Suppliers: Qatar, Australia, Russia, Malaysia, and the United States
• Key LNG Terminals: Over 20 terminals, including Shanghai, Guangdong, and Tianjin.
• Growth Drivers:
  • The shift from coal to cleaner natural gas.
  • Strong government support for energy diversification.
  • Increased long-term LNG contracts with Qatar and Russia.

China has become one of the largest and fastest-growing players in the global LNG market. As the world’s second-largest energy consumer, China relies on LNG imports to meet its growing energy demand while transitioning towards cleaner energy sources.

Japan (Historically the Largest LNG Importer)

• Annual LNG Imports: ~70-75 MTPA.
• Leading Suppliers: Australia, Qatar, Malaysia, the US, Russia.
• Key LNG Terminals: Over 30 terminals, with major hubs in Tokyo, Osaka, and Hokkaido.
• Key Trends:
  • High LNG demand due to limited domestic energy resources.
  • A shift towards nuclear power could reduce future LNG imports.
  • Historically, it has been the largest LNG importer but is now second only to China.

South Korea (Third-Largest LNG Importer)

• Annual LNG Imports: ~45-50 MTPA.
• Leading Suppliers: Qatar, Australia, the US, Malaysia.
• Key LNG Terminals: Pyeongtaek, Incheon, Tongyeong.
• Key Trends:
  • LNG plays a crucial role in electricity generation, industry, and heating.
  • Increased focus on hydrogen energy could affect long-term LNG demand.
  • LNG importers include KOGAS (Korea Gas Corporation)

India (Fastest-Growing LNG Market)

• Annual LNG Imports: ~25-30 MTPA.
• Leading Suppliers: Qatar, US, Australia,
• Key LNG Terminals: Dahej, Hazira, Kochi, Ennore.
• Growth Drivers:
  • Rising energy demand from industry and transportation.
  • Government push for gas-based economy (targeting 15% share by 2030).

Taiwan (Rising LNG Demand)

• Annual LNG Imports: ~18-20 MTPA.
• Leading Suppliers: Qatar, Australia, US.
• Key LNG Terminals: Taichung, Yung-An.
• Growth Drivers:
  • Shift away from nuclear power.
  • Increased investment in LNG infrastructure.

Emerging LNG Powerhouses in Asia

These countries are developing their LNG markets and increasing both imports and infrastructure.

Pakistan

• Annual LNG Imports: ~7-8 MTPA.
• Key Suppliers: Qatar
• Growth Challenges:
  • Economic instability affecting LNG affordability.
  • Limited foreign reserves to secure long-term contracts.

Bangladesh 

• Annual LNG Imports: ~6-7 MTPA.
• Key Suppliers: Qatar, Oman.
• Growth Challenges: Infrastructure limitations and financial constraints.

Vietnam & Thailand

• LNG Demand Growing Rapidly for Power Generation.
• Key LNG Terminals Under Construction to boost imports.