US Energy Regulator Licenses Construction Of 1st LNG Export Facility Since 2016 - Chair

The US Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) authorized early Friday the construction of the country's first liquefied natural gas (LNG) export terminal since 2016 amid the regulator's struggle with the backlog of permits for LNG sites, FERC Chairman Neil Chatterjee said

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 22nd February, 2019) The US Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) authorized early Friday the construction of the country's first liquefied natural gas (LNG) export terminal since 2016 amid the regulator's struggle with the backlog of permits for LNG sites, FERC Chairman Neil Chatterjee said.

The permit has been granted to US Venture Global LNG company, which is developing the Calcasieu Pass LNG export facility in the southeastern state of Louisiana.

"I'm extremely pleased that we are issuing the certificate order for the Calcasieu Pass LNG export terminal today. This facility will have the capacity to export 12 million metric tons of US LNG per year," Chatterjee was quoted as saying in a press release, published on the official website of the regulator.

Under the US regulatory process, FERC and the Department of Energy are responsible for authorizing the construction of LNG facilities. The energy regulator, however, has been struggling to process applications for the construction of liquefied natural gas facilities since 2016 amid the rapid expansion of the industry in the United States.

Last December, US Energy Information Administration said that it expected the country's LNG production to leap from 3.6 billion cubic feet per day to 8.9 billion by the end of 2019, placing the United States in the top three of the world's largest LNG producers alongside Australia and Qatar, partially thanks to the opening of new export facilities.