Italian firm dips its toes into LNG market by joining 25 mtpa project in Louisiana

January 26, 2026, by Melisa Cavcic

Italy’s Tecnimont, Maire’s company focused on integrated engineering & construction (IE&CS) business, has made its first foray into the liquefied natural gas (LNG) market with a strategic deal with Argent LNG, a U.S.-based energy company dedicated to developing LNG export solutions, to participate as an integrated engineering service provider in the development of an LNG export project in Port Fourchon, Louisiana.

Rendering of a future LNG terminal — Rendering of the future Argent LNG terminal; Source: Argent LNG

A term sheet with Argent LNG, which signifies Tecnimont’s strategic entry into the global LNG market, lays the foundation for the Italian player’s participation in the development of the Argent LNG export facility project in Louisiana, said to be one of the most strategically hurricane-resilient energy hubs in the United States.

The duo has established a long–term alignment across engineering and project development as the project advances through Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) permitting and front–end engineering design (FEED), for which contracts are expected to be finalized soon to support the project’s final investment decision (FID).

Alessandro Bernini, Chief Executive Officer of Maire, commented: “We are extremely proud and excited to start this innovative project. This collaboration with Argent LNG not only strengthens our presence in the US but also opens a new market for the Group, thanks to Tecnimont’s recognized capabilities in the modularized approach and its flexibility to adapt to new challenging opportunities.”

The companies’ modular platform is designed to be fully replicable, scalable, and financeable, enabling rapid and predictable responses to global LNG demand, with every module optimized for constructability, transportability, and integration with proven original equipment manufacturers (OEM) technologies.

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Jonathan Bass, Founder and Executive Chairman of Argent LNG, emphasized: “This term sheet represents a meaningful alignment between capital, engineering, and execution.

“Engaging a Tier-1 global engineering organization at this stage underscores the seriousness, discipline, and long-term vision behind the Argent LNG platform. Our objective is to build a project that meets the highest standards of technical excellence, regulatory credibility, and capital efficiency.”

The Argent LNG platform is perceived to have been engineered around modular solutions from globally recognized technology leaders. This integrated approach is intended to enhance execution certainty, reduce interface risk, and support a disciplined pathway to a final investment decision (FID).

The Argent LNG facility is envisaged to have an initial capacity of 12 million tons per annum (mtpa) of LNG, with the potential expansion up to 25 mtpa as part of the project’s Phase 2.

Tecnimont underlined: “The collaboration delivers a truly bankable and repeatable solution that can be deployed across multiple projects and geographies, establishing a new global standard for modular LNG infrastructure.

“This achievement represents further evidence of Tecnimont‘s ability to deliver disciplined development, precise engineering execution, and integration of OEM technologies such as Baker Hughes.”