FERC OKs environmental assessment of Venture Global’s C2 LNG plant
The US Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) May 9 found that Venture Global’s 28-million tonnes/year CP2 LNG plant in Cameron Parish, La., and the related CP Express pipeline would not significantly impact air quality.
The approval moves the project closer to a final investment decision (FID) and construction after years of delays.
FERC staff undertook a supplemental analysis of its final environmental impact statement (EIS) after a federal appeals court in November 2024 set aside the commission’s prior authorization over concerns about the cumulative air-quality effects.
Specifically, the US Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit expressed concerns about impacts related to emissions of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and particles with an aerodynamic diameter of less than or equal to 2.5 microns (PM2.5).
“Commission staff conclude that the emission impacts, including 1-hour NO2 and annual PM2.5 impacts from the CP Express Moss Lake Compressor Station and CP2 LNG Terminal, when combined with past, present, and reasonably foreseeable emissions within the regional air environment are not significant. As such, we conclude that there would be no significant cumulative air quality impacts,” FERC said May 12.
CP Express is a 91-mile pipeline and related infrastructure to transport the 4 bcfd of feed gas required for the proposed LNG export operations from natural gas supply points in east Texas and southwest Louisiana to the terminal.
FERC said it would consider the analysis and conclusions of the final supplemental EIS in its “further merits” order for the project.
Venture Global in March received authorization from the US Department of Energy for LNG exports from CP2 to non-FTA countries (OGJ Online, Mar. 25, 2025).
The company has spent over $4 billion on construction, engineering, and design through Dec. 31, 2024, and has launched the FID process.
As of March, the initial phase of CP2 LNG has been sold through 20-year sales and purchase agreements with ExxonMobil, Chevron, JERA, New Fortress Energy, INPEX, China Gas, SEFE, and EnBW.
On May 1, Venture Global said it had raised $3 billion in debt finance for construction of the plant.
CP2 is the third LNG export project developed by Venture Global. Calcasieu Pass came online in March 2022 and Plaquemines LNG began exports in late 2024. Once built, CP2 would be the largest LNG plant in the US.
Cathy Landry | Washington Correspondent
Cathy Landry has worked over 20 years as a journalist, including 17 years as an energy reporter with Platts News Service (now S&P Global) in Washington and London.
She has served as a wire-service reporter, general news and sports reporter for local newspapers and a feature writer for association and company publications.
Cathy has deep public policy experience, having worked 15 years in Washington energy circles.
She earned a master’s degree in government from The Johns Hopkins University and studied newspaper journalism and psychology at Syracuse University.
