A little-known US LNG exporter could be a beneficiary of the EU gas crisis

One of the main beneficiaries of the sharp rise in gas prices in Europe may be the American Venture Global, which went public in New York about a year ago, MarketWatch writes. In the year since its IPO, its shares have plummeted 60%, but thanks to its unique position in the industry during the Middle East crisis, the company could recoup all of its losses in a matter of days.

Shares of Venture Global, which in three years has become the second-largest producer of liquefied natural gas (LNG) in the U.S. thanks to Europe's rejection of Russian fuel, soared 17.4% on March 2, despite the company's weak profit forecast released the same day. The growth of quotations for the session turned out to be the most significant since June 2025, and the trades closed at the maximum since October last year. On March 3, Venture Global securities gain 17% on the pre-market in New York.

The rally was triggered by a surge in LNG prices in Europe, according to Barron's. While all other U.S. LNG exporters are bound by long-term contracts, Venture Global's new Plaquemines plant is in the commissioning phase, allowing the company to sell gas on the spot market in large volumes and at favorable prices, Reuters noted.

Thanks to its ability to sell gas on the spot market, Venture Global is in the best position to profit from prices soaring due to the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz and shortages in Europe, The Wall Street Journal quoted Mizuho analysts as saying. According to TradingView, the price of TTF - benchmark contracts for gas supply in Europe - jumped by more than 90% this week.

Shares of Cheniere Energy, the largest and better known U.S. LNG producer to investors, were up only 5.6% on March 2. This is due to the fact that earlier Cheniere contracted the bulk of its LNG supplies and now has to sell them at pre-agreed prices, MarketWatch quotes Rob Tammel, portfolio manager at Tortoise Capital, as saying.

Gas stocks in Europe are now "well below" the five-year average, Global X ETFs analyst Kenny Zhu emphasized. The U.S. accounts for about 60% of European LNG imports, and markets have priced in that a significant amount of U.S. exports will be sent to Europe to replenish natural gas stocks in the spring, the expert added.

Venture Global completed its IPO in January 2025. The $1.75 billion listing was the largest in the U.S. energy sector in more than 10 years and the largest among LNG producers in history. However, the initial excitement quickly died down. On the first day of trading after the IPO, the stock fell 4%, and by the close of the session last Friday, February 27, it had fallen 60% since going public.

In January 2026, Venture Global won a lawsuit brought by Spain's Repsol, which accused Venture of breaching contracts to benefit from a spike in energy prices after the start of the military conflict in Ukraine. In 2025, Venture acted in courts with European clients with mixed success: the company won a similar dispute with Shell, but lost to BP.

This article was AI-translated and verified by a human editor