The Office of Fossil Energy (FE) of the Department of Energy (DOE) gives notice of receipt of an application (Application), filed on March 6, 2018, by Freeport LNG Expansion, L.P. (Freeport Expansion) and FLNG Liquefaction 4, LLC (FLIQ4) collective FLEX4, requesting long-term, multi-contract authorization to export liquefied natural gas (LNG) in an amount up to the equivalent of 262.8 billion cubic feet (Bcf) of natural gas per year for 20 years to any country with which the United States does not have a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) requiring national treatment for trade in natural gas which currently has or in the future develops the capacity to import LNG and with which trade is not prohibited by United States law or policy.  The applicant seeks an authorization commencing on the earlier of the date of first export or seven years from the date the authorization is issued. FLEX4 proposes to export LNG from its proposed Train 4 project as the existing LNG terminal site which is currently under construction for Trains 1-3 portion of the Freeport LNG Liquefaction Project located in on Quintana Island, Texas.

DOE will consider one or more of the following studies examining the cumulative impacts of exporting domestically produced LNG:

• Effect of Increased Levels of Liquefied Natural Gas on U.S. Energy Markets, conducted by the U.S. Energy Information Administration upon DOE’s request (2014 EIA LNG Export Study);
• The Macroeconomic Impact of Increasing U.S. LNG Exports, conducted jointly by the Center for Energy Studies at Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy and Oxford Economics, on behalf of DOE (2015 LNG Export Study); and
• Macroeconomic Outcomes of Market Determined Levels of U.S. LNG Exports, conducted by NERA Economic Consulting on behalf of DOE (2018 LNG Export Study)

Additionally, DOE will consider the following environmental documents: 

• Addendum to Environmental Review Documents Concerning Exports of Natural Gas From the United States, 79 FR 48132 (Aug. 15, 2014) and
• Life Cycle Greenhouse Gas Perspective on Exporting Liquefied Natural Gas from the United States, 79 FR 32260 (June 4, 2014).