DOE issues export authorizations to LNG projects in Texas, Louisiana

(P&GJ) — The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) issued two long-term orders authorizing an additional 0.5 Bft³d of LNG exports from two LNG export projects: Golden Pass LNG in Texas and Magnolia LNG in Louisiana.

"We just permitted another two LNG facilities today, although...one of them is under construction and won't be online for a while and the other one hasn't even begun yet," Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm told reporters at a U.S.-EU energy meeting in New Jersey.

The orders allow Golden Pass LNG to export the equivalent of an additional 0.35 Bcf/d and Magnolia LNG to export an additional 0.15 Bft³d of natural gas as LNG to any country not prohibited by U.S. law or policy. DOE had previously issued long-term non-free trade agreement export orders for the majority of the projects’ capacities, with Magnolia LNG’s authorization for 1.08 Bft³d in 2016 and an authorization for 2.21 Bft³d issued to Golden Pass LNG in 2017.

The two orders issued today align the projects’ respective export authorizations to additional capacity that the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission had approved for the projects based on optimized project designs.

Golden Pass, jointly owned by Exxon-Mobil Corporation and Qatar Petroleum International Limited, is currently under construction in Sabine Pass, Texas, with first exports expected in 2024. Magnolia LNG, owned by the Glenfarne Group LLC, is planned to be developed in Lake Charles, Louisiana.

The U.S. is the largest global producer of oil and natural gas and a net exporter of energy. U.S. fuel supplies, including LNG, continue to play a key role in global energy security, particularly due to Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.

U.S. LNG exports have recently reached new highs of approximately 12 Bft³d and are expected to grow to more than 13 Bft³d by the end of this year as additional export capacity comes online.

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