The Maritime Administration and the U.S. Coast Guard have received an application from ST LNG, LLC to construct and operate a liquefied natural gas export terminal approximately 10.4 nautical miles offshore Matagorda, Texas.
According to the application, the proposed deepwater port would include both fixed and floating infrastructure, including multiple offshore platforms, mooring dolphins, and converted LNG carriers.
When fully built, the facility would be capable of exporting up to 8.4 million tonnes per annum of liquefied natural gas.
The application states the project would be developed in four phases. Phase 1 would include three large platforms for gas treatment, LNG liquefaction, and accommodations and utilities, along with one LNG transfer platform, nine mooring dolphins, one floating storage unit, and connecting lateral pipelines. Each phase would be designed to produce up to 2.1 million tonnes of LNG annually.
Feed gas for the project would be sourced from the Tres Palacios Natural Gas Storage and Trading Hub and the Williams Markham Gas Processing Plant in Texas, using a combination of existing and newly constructed pipeline infrastructure, according to ST LNG.
ST LNG has stated the project would generate more than 1,900 temporary construction jobs, including 1,254 positions related to jackets, topsides, and bridge construction over a three-year period. Once operational, the company estimates the port would support 156 permanent jobs over its projected 25-year lifespan, including personnel assigned to floating storage units, tug operations, and administrative functions such as engineering, finance, and legal services.
Federal regulators received the application on June 9, 2025, and have deemed it complete following a coordinated review. Under the Deepwater Port Act, public hearings related to the application must be completed within 240 days of the notice being published.
Texas has been designated the Adjacent Coastal State for the proposal. Under federal law, the governor of Texas may approve, approve with conditions, or disapprove the application within 45 days after the conclusion of the final public hearing.
The project will undergo environmental review under the National Environmental Policy Act, with multiple federal agencies participating, including the Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Separately, the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management has acknowledged receipt of an application filed by ST LNG on Dec. 10, 2025, requesting authorization to export up to the equivalent of 460 billion cubic feet of natural gas per year. The request seeks approval for exports to both Free Trade Agreement countries and non-Free Trade Agreement countries through Dec. 31, 2050, using the proposed deepwater port located in Brazos Block BA-476 off the southeast coast of Matagorda.
The authorization request covers exports to any country with the capacity to import LNG via ocean-going carrier, provided trade is not prohibited by U.S. law. A Federal Register notice is expected to be issued for the non-FTA portion of the application.
The application comes as federal regulators recently terminated a separate deepwater port license application for the West Delta LNG project off the coast of Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana. In a statement announcing that decision, MARAD said the applicant failed to submit a viable application after receiving multiple extensions.
According to MARAD, there are currently three other applications for floating LNG export terminals off the coasts of Texas and Louisiana under consideration. No floating LNG export terminals are currently operating in the United States.