US Simplifies Reporting Rules For Liquefied Natural Gas Exporters - Energy Department

US energy companies seeking licenses to export liquefied natural gas (LNG) will only be required to report the country accepting shipments and not the final end user with a rule change announced by the Department of Energy on Wednesday.

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 19th December, 2018) US energy companies seeking licenses to export liquefied natural gas (LNG) will only be required to report the country accepting shipments and not the final end user with a rule change announced by the Department of Energy on Wednesday.

"It is imperative that US LNG companies have all the tools they need to get their American product into the international market," Energy Secretary Rick Perry said in a press release announcing the change. "By streamlining the destination reporting requirements, the Department of Energy is taking an important deregulatory step forward in order to better provide reliable US LNG to our friends and allies abroad."

Currently, the Energy Department requires some LNG export authorization holders to report the final country of end-use for LNG exports, which can differ from the country receiving the initial physical delivery, the release said.

With this change in reporting requirements, LNG exporters are still required to continue the current ban on LNG exports to sanctioned countries such as Iran and North Korea, the release noted.

By the end of 2019, the United States is expected to become the world's No. 3 LNG exporter, behind Australia and Qatar, the release said.

There are currently three large-scale US LNG export terminals in operation, three under construction and more than a dozen proposed terminals under review, according to the release.