The Energy Department has issued two final authorizations for Freeport LNG to export domestically produced liquefied natural gas to countries that do not have a Free Trade Agreement with the United States.
The Freeport LNG terminal in Quintana Island, Texas is authorized to export LNG up to the equivalent of 1.4 billion standard cubic feet per day of natural gas and 0.4 Bcf/d, for a total authorized volume of 1.8 Bcf/d, for a period of 20 years. Following the recent announcement of the procedural change, the Department evaluated the two Freeport applications after they completed the environmental review required by the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).
The development of U.S. natural gas resources is having a transformative impact on the U.S. energy landscape, helping to improve the country’s energy security while spurring economic development and job creation around. This increase in domestic natural gas production is expected to continue, with the Energy Information Administration forecasting a record production rate of 75.05 Bcf/d in 2014.
The Energy Department said it has conducted an extensive, careful review of the Freeport LNG applications. Among other factors, the Department considered the economic, energy security, and environmental impacts and determined that exports at a rate of up to 1.4 Bcf/d and 0.4 Bcf/d for a period of 20 years was not inconsistent with the public interest.
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Press Release; Image: Freeport LNG