Freeport given conditional nod to export LNG to non-FTA countries

Nov. 15, 2013
The US Department of Energy has conditionally green-lighted Freeport LNG Expansion LP and FLNG Liquefaction LLC to export additional volumes of domestically produced liquefied natural gas to countries without a Free Trade Agreement with the US from the Freeport LNG Terminal in Quintana Island, Tex.

The US Department of Energy has conditionally green-lighted Freeport LNG Expansion LP and FLNG Liquefaction LLC to export additional volumes of domestically produced liquefied natural gas to countries without a Free Trade Agreement with the US from the Freeport LNG Terminal in Quintana Island, Tex.

The facility is conditionally authorized to export an additional 0.4 bcfd, for a total rate of up to 1.8 bcfd, for 20 years, which the DOE found was not inconsistent with public interest.

Countries that do not have an FTA with the US are authorized for export by DOE. Proposed exports that are found not to “be consistent with the public interest” are rejected.

DOE considered Freeport LNG Terminal’s economic, energy security, and environmental impacts. It also considered public comments for and against the application and almost 200,000 public comments related to the associated analysis of the cumulative impacts of increased LNG exports.

Freeport previously received approval to export 1.4 bcfd of natural gas LNG from Freeport to non-FTA countries on May 17 (OGJ Online, May 17, 2013). The DOE then conditionally authorized Dominion’s proposed Cove Point facility in September (OGJ Online, Sept. 23, 2013).