Texas Plant Gets Approval to Export LNG

On Tuesday, The U.S. Energy Department gave final approval for Cheniere to export liquefied natural gas from its plant in Corpus Christi, Texas. The authorization allows for the plant to export LNG to countries that do not currently share a Free Trade Agreement with the United States. 

The Corpus Christi Liquefaction Project is authorized to export LNG up to the equivalent of 2.1 billion standard cubic feet per day (Bcf/d) of natural gas for a period of 20 years. In a written statement yesterday, the Energy Department commented that, “The development of U.S. natural gas resources is having a transformative impact on the U.S. energy landscape, helping to improve our energy security while spurring economic development and job creation around the country.” 

The U.S. Energy Information Administration further believes the country could become a net LNG exporter by 2017. The boom in domestic energy drilling and demand from gas consumers in Europe and Asia has pushed companies to build multi billion-dollar facilities to export the fuel.

Federal law generally requires approval of natural gas exports to countries that have an FTA with the United States. For countries that do not have an FTA with the United States, the Natural Gas Act directs the Department of Energy to grant export authorizations unless the Department finds that the proposed exports “will not be consistent with the public interest.”

Cheniere hopes to export LNG from Corpus Christi beginning in 2018. Last week, the DOE approved LNG exports from Dominion Resources Inc's Cove Point plant in Maryland.