DOE Grants 20-Year Export Approval for Argent LNG's Louisiana Terminal
The U.S. Department of Energy has issued a 20-year export authorization for Argent LNG’s proposed Port Fourchon, Louisiana terminal, World Oil reports, clearing the company to ship up to 25 MMtpa of gas to Free Trade Agreement nations.
Market Impact
The authorization, issued under DOE Order No. 5447, allows Argent LNG to export the equivalent of 1,293.75 Bcf of natural gas annually starting with first commercial exports. It’s a major federal regulatory milestone for a facility still working through permitting, including a separate pending DOE application to export to non-Free Trade Agreement countries and an ongoing FERC pre-filing environmental review, for which Argent LNG has submitted 11 resource reports covering environmental, engineering and socioeconomic impacts.
Argent LNG plans to build the terminal on roughly 900 acres in Lafourche Parish, featuring 12 modular liquefaction trains using Baker Hughes’ NMBL technology, two 220,000-cu-m LNG storage tanks, a 350-MW gas-fired power plant, and two marine loading berths for large LNG carriers. Construction is targeted to begin in late 2027, with first LNG production expected in the first quarter of 2030. “This federal authorization marks a significant regulatory milestone for the project,” said Jonathan Bass, chairman and CEO of Argent LNG. “We will continue advancing development as we work toward bringing additional U.S. LNG export capacity to global markets.” The company has also signed memorandums of understanding for potential LNG supply to Ukraine, Bangladesh and Türkiye, separate from the DOE authorization.
What It Means for Subcontractors
- Civil and site-prep crews should anticipate bid packages tied to the 900-acre Lafourche Parish site once FERC review and remaining permitting clear, with construction slated to start in late 2027.
- Mechanical and E&I contractors working with Baker Hughes’ NMBL modular liquefaction technology should track vendor announcements, since 12 separate liquefaction trains suggest a modular, phased construction sequence rather than one monolithic build.
- Pipefitting and tank-construction specialists can expect scope tied to two 220,000-cu-m LNG storage tanks and two marine loading berths, work that typically requires specialized cryogenic and marine-certified crews.
- Power and electrical contractors should note the planned 350-MW gas-fired power generation facility on site, a standalone package likely to need its own EPC and subcontractor bids ahead of the 2030 first-production target.
- Firms pursuing this work have a roughly three-year runway before construction begins, giving time to build Gulf Coast crew capacity, secure LNG-specific certifications, and position for subcontract packages as Argent LNG’s non-FTA export application and FERC review proceed.
