By Curtis Williams
HOUSTON (Reuters) – Three companies developing liquefied natural gas (LNG) projects in Texas and Louisiana said they would go full steam ahead with their plans after U.S. President Donald Trump lifted a freeze on export licenses imposed by the previous administration.
Trump’s executive order effectively reversed a new project permitting freeze that former President Joe Biden had put in place beginning in 2024 to study the environmental and economic impacts of the booming export industry.
Trump’s decision could pave the way for nearly 100 million metric tons per year (MTPA) of additional LNG by 2031 to projects that have advanced significantly, further cementing the US as the world’s largest LNG exporter.
“We remain full steam ahead in our current and future expansion projects and are confident we will secure all necessary regulatory approvals,” Cheniere Energy (NYSE: ) Communications Director Bernardo Fallas said.
Top US LNG exporter Cheniere Energy was awaiting an export license for its 3 MTPA mid-size expansion project 8 and 9 in Texas.
Commonwealth LNG, which has waited longer than any other company for its permit, wants to build a 9.5 MTPA export plant in Louisiana to sell to countries that do not have a free trade agreement with the US, said Trump’s decision was for the best public interest. .
The company is “focused on building a world-class LNG export facility,” the spokesman said.
Energy transfer (NYSE: ) also welcomed the decision. It had an export license for its 15.5 MTPA facility in Louisiana, but a new license was needed after the Department of Energy denied a license extension due to delays in completing construction.
“We look forward to the Department of Energy moving quickly to approve new LNG export facilities, including our Lake Charles LNG export facility,” company spokeswoman Vicki Granado said.
Six other plants could get the financial green light in the first two years of the Trump administration, said Alex Munton, director of global gas and LNG research at consultancy Rapidan Energy Group.
A study by the Biden administration found that U.S. natural gas supplies are sufficient to meet domestic demand for the fuel and global demand for U.S. LNG. But in a scenario of unlimited LNG exports, domestic gas prices would rise 31% in 2050, it found, raising natural gas bills for US households by more than $100 a year, with prices varying by region .
Friends of the Earth said on Tuesday that Trump’s decision would accelerate the climate crisis and increase gas prices by sending supplies overseas.
