Yesterday, the U.S. Department of Energy authorized additional exports of liquefied natural gas (LNG) from planned terminals in Texas and Louisiana.
The orders allow Golden Pass LNG Terminal near Port Arthur, Texas, and Magnolia LNG Terminal in Lake Charles, Louisiana, to export additional natural gas as LNG to any country not prohibited by U.S. law or policy.
The $10 billion Golden Pass LNG export project is expected to be operational in 2024, with Magnolia coming online by 2026. The two terminals are expected to produce more than 3 billion cubic feet of natural gas per day.
"Russia’s war on Ukraine “screams” that the world needs to stop importing oil and gas from Russia and instead move toward other forms of energy," said U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm at an international forum on offshore wind energy in Atlantic City.
The approvals come as the United States seeks to boost LNG exports to Europe amid Russia's war with Ukraine. The Energy Department approved expanded permits for two other LNG terminals in Texas and Louisiana last month.
Cheniere Energy Inc. said its Sabine Pass facility in Louisiana and its Corpus Christi plant in Texas have been improved and are making more gas than covered by previous export permits.
Granholm said last month that the U.S. “is exporting every molecule of liquefied natural gas that we can” to help European buyers of Russian fuel.
“At such a critical time for global energy needs, I’m proud to have led the fight to press the Department of Energy to help secure permits for export at two new LNG export facilities," said U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz.
"This is a tremendous victory for Texans, American jobs, trade, and our European allies who will now have greater access to our clean natural gas exports. America produces the cleanest energy in the world, and I want to thank Secretary Granholm for listening to my concerns about how the delays in permitting was hurting our economy and working productively with me to finally issue these permits.”
