The US Department of Energy (DOE) has approved a free trade permit extension for Delfin LNG, which is currently developing an up to 13.3 Mt/year floating LNG project off the coast of the US State of Louisiana. Delfin LNG had been seeking a five-year extension to its non-free trade area export (non-FTA) permit to allow it to export LNG to countries that do not have free trade agreements with the US.
This permit issuance to Delfin marks the fourth LNG-related approval from DOE since the new US administration took office, following an export approval to Commonwealth LNG, an order on rehearing removing barriers for the use of LNG as bunkering fuel, and an approval providing the Golden Pass LNG terminal more time to commence exports. The new administration is thus reverting the actions of the previous administration, which in 2024 had paused approvals for LNG export permits pending studies on the economic and environmental impact of US LNG expansion.
In 2024, the US had seven LNG liquefaction export terminals with a combined capacity of 119 bcm/year (88 Mt/year). LNG export capacities are expected to increase by more than 50% by 2026 and LNG export volumes to double by 2050.
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