Argent LNG receives US approval to export to countries with free-trade agreements

The U.S. Department of Energy authorized?Argent?LNG to sell liquefied gas from its proposed Louisiana terminal to countries with free-trade agreements that include the U.S. This is a major federal approval for the developer as it moves towards a final decision on the project.

Argent LNG, a privately-held U.S. firm, is developing an LNG terminal in Port Fourchon, Louisiana. This location is about 160 km (100 miles) south of New Orleans. The project will export up to 25 metric tons of LNG per year, making it one of the largest LNG facilities proposed on the U.S. Gulf Coast.

The DOE stated that "Argent LNG could export the equivalent of up to 1.3 trillion cubic foot of natural gas each year for 20 years, starting on the date of its first commercial export."

The company can also export any unused volume during the three-year period of make-up following the expiration of the export term.

The DOE authorization states that Argent LNG has the authority to export LNG both as an individual and as a representative of other parties.

The approval includes exports to U.S. partners under free-trade agreements, including Australia, Bahrain Canada, Chile Colombia, the Dominican Republic Panama, Peru and South Korea, as well as future free-trade partners with the U.S.

DOE: The DOE has said that the export authorization is distinct from Argent’s request pending to ship LNG to nations who?does not have free trade agreements with the U.S.

The document stated that the company had filed applications in March for both FTA and non-FTA export authorizations, with DOE subjecting the non-FTA application to a wider public-interest review.

Argent LNG signed a non-binding contract with Bangladesh in January 2025. Under this agreement, the state-owned Petrobangla would be able to purchase up?5 millions metric tons LNG per year from the proposed facility.

The developer also signed an agreement for market participation with the Turkish energy exchange?Enerji Piyasalari Isletme AS. This move, according to the firm, is intended to bring U.S. natural gas into Europe.

The project would be part of a new wave of U.S. Gulf Coast LNG export projects, as the U.S. tries to maintain its status as the largest LNG exporter in the world. Curtis Williams, Houston (Reporting and Editing by Nathan Crooks & Chris Reese).

(source: Reuters)