India has emerged as the top buyer of liquefied natural gas (LNG) from the United Arab Emirates (UAE), securing over half of the UAE’s LNG exports during the first nine months of 2024. According to a report from the Kuwaiti-based Arab Energy Organization (AEO), the remainder of the LNG was supplied to other Asian markets.

The report highlights that all of the UAE’s LNG exports last year originated from the gas treatment plant on Abu Dhabi’s Das Island, which has a production capacity of approximately 5.8 million tonnes per year. The Das LNG exports experienced a significant increase, surging by nearly 13 percent to around 4.3 million tonnes in the first nine months of 2024, up from about 3.8 million tonnes in the same period in 2023.

In terms of market share, India accounted for nearly 52 percent of the LNG exports from the UAE in 2024. Other major recipients included Japan and China, each receiving 15 percent, while South Korea and Taiwan both took in 6 percent of the total exports. The report also noted that Qatar was the second largest LNG exporter after the United States, with its exports reaching nearly 60.1 million tonnes in the first nine months of last year.