Venture Global, a leading U.S. liquefied natural gas (LNG) company, has formally applied to the U.S. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) for permitting and approval of the Plaquemines LNG brownfield expansion project.
In parallel, the company has sought export authorisations from the U.S. Department of Energy (DoE) related to the expansion.
This development highlights the company’s response to rising global demand for LNG and its commitment to leveraging its existing infrastructure efficiently.
Venture Global has revised the project’s expected output upward by nearly 40 per cent since the expansion announcement earlier this year, attributing this increase to ongoing optimisation of liquefaction trains and robust market demand.
CEO Mike Sabel stated: “Venture Global is pleased to announce the formal launch of the permitting process for the Plaquemines Expansion Project.
“Incrementally expanding Plaquemines is a logical and economically efficient opportunity to build on our strong existing infrastructure.”
He added: “This strategic step provides Venture Global with the optionality to develop a scalable project that can efficiently meet market needs as they evolve.
“Our decision to significantly increase the project’s permitted capacity reflects the strong market demand we continue to see, and this expansion will play a vital role in meeting that demand.”
The Plaquemines expansion is planned as a phased implementation, consisting of 32 modular liquefaction trains spread across three phases.
This will add more than 30 million tonnes per annum (mtpa) to peak production capacity, raising the total peak output at the Plaquemines complex to over 58 mtpa.
The company has confirmed that the commercial operations timeline for the first two phases remains unchanged.
Plaquemines LNG, located in Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana, is already the United States’ second-largest LNG export facility.
It achieved its first LNG production milestone in December 2024, only 30 months after its Final Investment Decision (FID), marking one of the fastest greenfield LNG projects to reach production in the nation.
Venture Global is concurrently developing over 100 mtpa of LNG capacity across multiple U.S. projects and is moving forward with additional facilities, such as the Calcasieu Pass 2 (CP2) LNG project, also in Louisiana.
The U.S. Department of Energy has historically supported Venture Global’s LNG exports, viewing them as beneficial for economic growth, diversification of global LNG supplies, and enhancement of energy security for U.S. allies and trading partners.
Recently, the DoE granted export authorisations for the CP2 project, reinforcing Venture Global’s position in the rapidly growing global LNG market.
Last month, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission granted Venture Global an extension for the commissioning phase of the Plaquemines LNG plant, allowing the company to delay the start of full commercial operations in order to capitalise on potentially higher spot market prices for LNG.
This extension provides Venture Global with added commercial flexibility amid fluctuating market conditions.
The expansion aligns with broader trends in the U.S. LNG sector, which is experiencing a surge in capacity as the country maintains its status as the world’s largest LNG exporter.
Total U.S. LNG liquefaction export terminals had a combined capacity of 88 mt per annum as of 2024, and this figure is expected to rise by more than 50% by 2026 due to projects like Plaquemines and CP2.
Venture Global’s strategic PLAQUEMINES expansion project exemplifies the growing importance of LNG in the global energy transition, as cleaner-burning natural gas increasingly replaces more carbon-intensive fuels worldwide.
Share this story