(Reuters) – Energy Transfer, the pipeline company developing a liquefied natural gas (LNG) export facility in Louisiana, is asking federal regulators to extend the deadline by three years for construction of its plant.
Energy Transfer’s Lake Charles project is expected to benefit from President Donald Trump’s attempt to unleash American energy by supporting oil, gas and LNG exports. The United States is already the largest exporter of LNG in the world and a key supplier of natural gas to Europe.
Lake Charles was impacted by the Biden administration’s refusal to grant an extension to Energy Transfer’s license to export to countries other than those that have free trade agreements with the United States.
Former President Joe Biden subsequently declared a moratorium on new export licenses for LNG plants pending an environmental impact study.
Its new request would push the construction deadline to 2031.
Energy Transfer’s application cites the moratorium, the fact that it does not have a license to export to countries that do not have a free trade agreement with the United States, the impact of the Biden pause on new licenses and the limited number of contractors with the ability to build LNG plants as reasons for its delays in executing the project.
Energy Transfer said it has final sales agreements and non-binding agreements for 15 million metric tonnes per annum of the facility’s 16.5 million MTPA capacity, and that it was making good progress toward a final investment decision.
Energy Transfer signed a non-binding agreement last week with MidOcean Energy for 5 MTPA of LNG and a 30% stake in Lake Charles.
Reporting by Curtis Williams in Houston; Editing by Mark Porter
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