Venture Global’s Plaquemines LNG Project gets DOE nod for LNG exports

Venture Global Plaquemines LNG has received an authorization order for its Plaquemines LNG Project in Louisiana from the US Department of Energy (DOE) to export domestically produced liquefied natural gas (LNG).

The Plaquemines LNG facility, which is Venture Global’s second proposed LNG export project, is located on the Mississippi River, in Plaquemines Parish, nearly 20 miles south of the Port of New Orleans.

As per the authorization order, Plaquemines LNG will have the right to export up to 3.4 billion cubic feet per day (Bcf/d) of natural gas as LNG from the Plaquemines LNG Project. The LNG from the project has been permitted by the DOE to be exported by ocean-going vessels to any country with which the US does not have a free trade agreement (FTA) that needs national treatment for trade in natural gas, and with which trade is not banned by the US law or policy.

The US Department of Energy authorizes Venture Global to export LNG from the Plaquemines LNG Project. Photo courtesy of US Department of Energy/Wikipedia.org.

Rick Perry – US Secretary of Energy said: “The increase in LNG infrastructure projects in the U.S. has been astounding to watch. Projects like Venture Global’s Plaquemines create well-paid, American jobs and have changed the game in sharing the benefits of U.S. LNG with our allies around the world. I am glad the Department is doing our part to empower the Plaquemines project and other energy infrastructure to progress quickly.”  On 30 September 2019, the Plaquemines LNG Project received authorization from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to be sited, constructed, and operated.

In addition to the authorization order to export LNG, the DOE also approved the exports of 38.06 Bcf/d of LNG and compressed natural gas to non-FTA countries. Out of the total approved amount, nearly 15 Bcf/d of export capacity is in various stages of operation and construction across eight large-scale export projects.

Among the approved projects by the DOE is the Calcasieu Pass project, Venture Global’s LNG export project, which is currently under construction. A final investment decision on the Calcasieu Pass project was taken by Venture Global following final regulatory approvals from the FERC and the DOE.

Presently, the US is producing around 92Bcf/d of natural gas, making it the leading natural gas producer in the world. The DOE said that US LNG exports have recently hit the 5 Bcf/d mark.