Commonwealth LNG has obtained final export authorization to ship to non-free trade agreement (non-FTA) countries for its liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal located in Cameron Parish, Louisiana. The authorization granted by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) covers an annual capacity of 9.5 million tonnes. This regulatory milestone follows the DOE’s earlier conditional approval and the final order issued by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC).
The removal of regulatory conditions paves the way for a Final Investment Decision (FID) expected by the end of 2025. Commercial operations of the facility are scheduled for 2029. The development of Phase 1 represents an investment exceeding $11bn, with projected annual export revenues of about $3.5bn once operations begin.
A significant regional economic impact
Construction is expected to employ up to 2,000 workers, while 275 permanent jobs will be created once the plant is operational. The project is led by Commonwealth LNG, a subsidiary of Caturus, a newly formed entity by asset manager Kimmeridge, focused on integrated energy infrastructure in the United States.
The DOE approval strengthens Commonwealth LNG’s commercial progress, with 4 Mtpa already secured under long-term sales agreements with Glencore, JERA and PETRONAS. The company stated that it is on track to fully subscribe its remaining capacity in the coming months.
An integrated strategy from production to export
Commonwealth recently awarded Technip Energies the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract to build the facilities. This decision is part of a “wellhead-to-water” strategy designed to control the entire natural gas value chain, from upstream production to international exports.
The platform developed by Caturus now consolidates upstream assets under Caturus Energy, formerly Kimmeridge Texas Gas, with the export infrastructure managed by Commonwealth. This model aims to position the company as the only independent, fully integrated LNG export platform in the United States.
