DOE has prioritized LNG exports with the aim of securing an abundant energy supply for the American people while ensuring the United States maintains a leading role as a global energy supplier.
Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management
April 24, 2025
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During the first 100 days of the Trump Administration one thing is certain: the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is laser-focused on liquefied natural gas (LNG). DOE has prioritized LNG exports with the aim of securing an abundant energy supply for the American people while ensuring the United States maintains a leading role as a global energy supplier. To date, under the leadership of U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright, DOE has issued six LNG-related items to help further the United States’ global leadership in energy production and exports.
In fact, the U.S. Energy Information Administration’s Short-Term Energy Outlook, released April 10, 2025, estimates that U.S. LNG exports are expected to reach record highs in 2026, averaging 16.4 billion cubic feet per day (Bcf/d). Across the natural gas supply chain, U.S. natural gas production is also expected to reach record highs, averaging 107.1 Bcf/d in 2026.
Two conditional LNG export authorizations have been issued so far. On February 14, 2025, Secretary Wright signed a new export authorization for the Commonwealth LNG project proposed for Cameron Parish, Louisiana. Once constructed, Commonwealth LNG is expected to be capable of exporting 1.2 Bcf/d of LNG. On March 19, 2025, Secretary Wright approved a conditional export authorization to the Venture Global CP2 LNG export project also proposed for Cameron Parish, Louisiana. Once constructed, CP2 will be able to export up to 3.96 Bcf/d of LNG.
Two export authorization commencement extensions have been issued as well, granting additional time to commence LNG exports from projects in Texas and Louisiana. On March 5, 2025, Secretary Wright approved a commencement extension for Golden Pass LNG Terminal LLC, currently under construction in Sabine Pass, Texas. Once operational, Golden Pass will become the ninth large-scale U.S.-based export terminal and will be capable of exporting up to 2.57 Bcf/d of LNG. This was followed by the approval of an LNG export permit extension for Delfin LNG LLC, issued March 10, 2025, granting additional time to commence exports from the Delfin LNG project proposed for offshore Louisiana. Once constructed, Delfin LNG will be capable of exporting up to 1.8 Bcf/d of LNG.
On April 1, 2025, DOE took action to remove barriers for requests to LNG export commencement date extensions scaling back the criteria that authorized LNG exporters must meet in order to receive agency consideration for an extension of a commencement date for an approved project.
Additionally, on February 28, 2025, DOE announced an order that removes barriers for the use of LNG as marine fuel to power vessels, clarifying that DOE will no longer use its authority under the Natural Gas Act for ship-to-ship transfers of LNG for marine fuel use at a U.S. port, in U.S. waters, or in international waters. This is expected to further aid the growth of the use of LNG for ship fuel, or bunkering, especially as more ships switch to LNG fuel—an amount expected to double to more than 1,200 vessels by 2028.
To complement these efforts, FECM has developed stakeholder resources to provide additional information on LNG exports. View FECM’s fact sheet on LNG exports.