The logo of American multinational oil and gas corporation ExxonMobil is seen during the LNG 2023 energy trade show in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, July 12, 2023.
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. It extends the time the exports are allowed to begin from Sept. 30 this year until March 31, 2027.
The project aims to begin producing LNG in late 2025 and export the super-cooled form of natural gas after that. Once up, it will become the ninth-largest export terminal in the United States, 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 United States is the world's largest LNG exporter.
Golden Pass' 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.
A spokesman for Golden Pass said extensions "build in time for contingencies to account for uncertainties outside of Golden Pass LNG’s control that can arise when constructing a project of this scale.”
If completed, Golden Pass will have the capacity to export up to 2.57 billion cubic feet per day of LNG.
