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Trump's export license restart boosts US LNG projects

The U.S. president Donald Trump lifted the moratorium on new export permits of liquefied gas imposed by Joe Biden, his predecessor in January 2024.

Trump's executive order targeting the LNG industry was part of the series of policy initiatives to increase U.S. energy output.

Biden has halted all new approvals until a study is completed on the economic and environmental effects of the export boom. The study was published in December.

The U.S. LNG production was going to double, regardless of the moratorium. Biden had stopped new permit approvals before the government gave the green light for projects to increase U.S. gas capacity from 90 million tonnes per year (MPTA) to 200 MPTA. The moratorium did not affect these projects.

The new permits that Trump's administration will issue are likely to increase export capacity starting in 2030, as it takes many years to build LNG facilities.

In 2024, the United States will be the largest LNG exporter in the world. It is expected to ship 88.3 millions tonnes of supercooled gas. Three new plants will add 50 MPTA of capacity to the U.S. this year.

The expansion of the Stage 3 plant at Corpus Christi by Cheniere Energy, which will add 10 MTPA at its peak.

The two plants are currently under construction and will begin producing LNG in December of 2024.

Golden Pass LNG Texas, the joint venture between ExxonMobil & QatarEnergy that has been delayed for so long, is expected to also produce its first LNG by 2025. At peak capacity it would have a production rate of 18.1 MTPA.

Here are some of the projects which were affected by Trump's decision to stop issuing new permits. They could now move forward more quickly as a result. The U.S. could increase its export capacity by 100 MPTA.

In Texas:

Port Arthur expansion by Sempra Infrastructure (13 MTPA).

-Cheniere Energy Corpus Christi 8, 9 (3 MTPA).

In Louisiana

-Commonwealth LNG (9,5 MTPA).

-Venture Global LNG CP2 (20 MTPA project)

Energy Transfer's Lake Charles LNG facility (15.5 MTPA).

-Glenfarne Group’s Magnolia LNG (8,8 MTPA).

-Gulfstream LNG (4,2 MTPA).

-Argent LNG 25 MTPA

EXPANSION

There are also plants with DOE export permits that need to be approved in order to increase capacity.

Kinder Morgan's Elba Island LNG Plant and Venture Global LNG's Plaquemines & Calcasieu Pass are among them.

FURTHER OUT

There are a number projects that are in an earlier development stage and could also benefit from resuming the permit process. These include:

In Texas:

- EOS FLNG

- Barca LNG

In Louisiana

FLNG CE

- Main Pass FLNG Hub

Monkey Island LNG

MEXICO

Mexico Pacific LNG, located in Saguaro, will liquefy U.S. Gas and needs a DOE permit.

New Fortress Energy’s Altamira plant, located on Mexico’s Pacific coast, was the only project that received a license for exports to countries outside of free trade agreements. (Reporting and editing by Simon Webb, Nick Zieminski and Curtis Williams from Houston)

(source: Reuters)