The U.S. exported almost 680 Bcf of natural gas by pipelineand more than 25 Bcf of gas as LNG by ship from January through April, but thenation imported even more.

TheU.S. sent 402.12 Bcf of gas by pipeline to Mexico and 276.65 Bcf to Canadaduring that period,according to data released by the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Everyday, pipelines sent an average of 3.32 Bcf to Mexico and 2.29 Bcf to Canada.During the same period, the U.S. imported 8.01 Bcf/d, mostly from Canada, for atotal of 969.38 Bcf.

The first large-scale, Lower-48 LNG export terminal inoperation, Cheniere Energy Inc.'sSabine Pass facility in Louisiana, exported about 25 Bcf of LNG from Januarythrough April, with 10 Bcf in April alone. The biggest portions of thatyear-to-date volume went to Brazil, which received 6.55 Bcf of LNG, andArgentina, with 6.31 Bcf of LNG. The United Arab Emirates, India and Portugalalso received substantial portions of U.S. LNG.

From January through April, the U.S. imported 35.11 Bcf ofLNG, with most of that coming from Trinidad.

TheEIA has projectedthat the U.S. will become a net gas exporter by 2018, including LNG exportsthat the agency expects will reach 6.7 Tcf in 2040.