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WASHINGTON, March 5 (Reuters) – The U.S. Department of Energy said on Wednesday it has approved an extension of a permit for exports of liquefied natural gas from a Golden Pass LNG LLC project, jointly owned by QatarEnergy ExxonMobil (XOM.N), being built in Texas.
The approval will grant additional time to begin LNG exports to large markets in Asia and Europe from the $10 billion project under construction in Sabine Pass, Texas.
The project could begin exporting as early as later this year. Once up, it will become the ninth large export terminal in the U.S., the DOE said. QatarEnergy owns 70% of the joint venture and ExxonMobil the remainder.
“Golden Pass was the first project approved for exports to non-free trade agreement countries by DOE during the first Trump administration, and it is gratifying that this project is so close to being able to deliver its first LNG,” said Tala Goudarzi, an official in the department’s fossil energy and carbon management division.
The administration of President Donald Trump is approving LNG exports after former President Joe Biden put a pause on them to study the economic and environmental effects of the booming business. The U.S. is the world’s largest LNG exporter.
Golden Pass’s developers asked federal energy regulators in August for a three-year extension to complete construction of the project, saying that a change in primary contractors requires an extension until November, 2029.
Golden Pass did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
If completed, Golden Pass will have the capacity to export up to 2.57 billion cubic feet per day of LNG.
Reporting by Timothy Gardner Editing by Bill Berkrot
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