Dec 04, 2025 [ Gasworld ]- LNG project developers face a critical supply chain challenge that will reshape US gas investment priorities in 2026, according to new research from Wood Mackenzie.

Regions ripe for increased activity include Western Haynesville, southwest Eagle Ford, deep Pennsylvania Utica and various Rockies gas plays, the global research and consultancy firm forecasts.

Lydia Walker, Senior Research Analyst, said, “Permian gas alone cannot meet growing export demand, creating strategic opportunities for investors in complementary supply regions. The Eagle Ford [southwest Texas] and Austin Chalk offer longer reserve life and operational flexibility that LNG buyers increasingly value for long-term supply security.”

Western Haynesville [150 miles north of Houston] will be the highest impact new supply node and the existing fairway will deliver over 2 billion cubic feet per day (bcfd) by 2035, according to the research firm. Meanwhile, Deep Pennsylvania Utica has seen slow delineation efforts following CNX’s Gaut well in 2015. In-basin demand growth in the northeast could create a premium end-market for deep, high pressure Utica gas.

2026 will be an important year in appraisal delivery as operators target emerging appraisal areas to build inventory for long-term commitments to power or LNG end markets, it notes.

LNG exporters in the US have announced plans to more than double liquefaction capacity, adding an estimated 13.9 bcfd between 2025 and 2029, according to the US Energy Information Administration.

Planned liquefaction capacity additions will be concentrated around the US Gulf Coast, already the largest hub for LNG exports in the Atlantic Basin.

Around 300 billion cubic metres of new annual LNG export capacity is scheduled to start operation by 2030 and “questions still linger about where all the new LNG will go,” according to the International Energy Agency’s World Energy Outlook 2025 report .