Venture Global LNG has secured authorization from the US Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Fossil Energy to export LNG produced from its $4.5bn Calcasieu Pass LNG project to non-free trade agreement (FTA) countries.

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Image: Venture Global LNG secures DOE authorization for exporting LNG from Calcasieu Pass LNG project to non-FTA countries. Photo: courtesy of US Department of Energy/Wikipedia.org.

The Calcasieu Pass LNG project, which will have a capacity of 10 million tons per annum (MTPA), is proposed to be built in Cameron Parish, Louisiana.

As per the order issued by the DOE Office of Fossil Energy, the LNG project is given permission for the export of natural gas up to 620 billion cubic feet (Bcf) per year for a period of 25 years. The export permit comes into effect from the earlier of the date of first export or seven years from the date of the requested authorization.

US Secretary of Energy Rick Perry said: “Projects such as Calcasieu Pass’s LNG export project represent a tremendous opportunity for the United States.

“To secure our place among the top LNG exporters in the world, brings great benefits to both the United States and our trading partners around the world.”

The order from DOE follows its previous authorizations to export to FTA countries, and the recent approval from the US Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) for the LNG project and the associated TransCameron Pipeline.

The Calcasieu Pass LNG project, which will be built at the intersection of the Calcasieu Ship Channel and the Gulf of Mexico, is scheduled to be commissioned in 2022.

The LNG export project will be equipped with a process solution developed by GE Oil & Gas that utilizes mid-scale, modular, factory-fabricated liquefaction trains.

Its engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) will be handled by Kiewit under a contract awarded in December 2018.

Venture Global LNG co-CEOs Bob Pender and Mike Sabel said: “We are excited that we now have all federal authorizations for our Calcasieu Pass project, and we thank the Department of Energy for their expeditious decision.

“We are pleased that our Calcasieu Pass buyers – Shell, BP, Edison, Galp, Repsol, and PGNiG – can now deliver our low-cost US-produced energy worldwide, and we are proud to bring the benefit of the DOE’s decision to our country and our local communities in Louisiana. We have filed our implementation plans with FERC to commence site works imminently.”