The US Department of Energy (DOE) has granted Argent LNG authorization to export LNG from its planned Louisiana export terminal to countries that have free-trade agreements (FTAs) with the US, providing the developer with a key federal approval as it advances toward a Final Investment Decision (FID) on the project (US DOE press release, 24/07/2026).
Argent LNG is a privately owned US company developing an LNG export terminal at Port Fourchon, Louisiana. The facility is designed to export up to 25 Mt/year of LNG, making it one of the largest proposed LNG export projects along the US Gulf Coast.
According to the DOE, Argent LNG has been authorised to export up to the equivalent of 1.3 tcf/year (36.8 bcm/year) of natural gas over a 20-year period, starting from the date of the terminal's first commercial LNG export.
The authorization also permits the company to export any unused volumes during a three-year make-up period following the expiration of the export term. The DOE noted that this approval is separate from Argent LNG's pending application to export LNG to countries that do not have free-trade agreements with the US.
The project is currently in the pre-construction and regulatory review stage and remains pre-FID. Construction is expected to begin in late 2027, with the first commercial LNG production scheduled for the first quarter of 2030.