August 26, 2025 [Oil & Gas Journal]- Energy Transfer’s Lake Charles LNG Export Co. LLC has been granted additional time to begin exports of LNG to non-free trade agreement countries from the Lake Charles LNG plant in Lake Charles, La.

US Secretary of Energy Chris Wright signed an amendment order granting the additional time, the US Department of Energy said in a release Aug. 22.

Lake Charles LNG was originally configured as an LNG import terminal but is now being developed as a 16.45-million tonnes/year (tpy) LNG export plant to be constructed on the existing brownfield regasification terminal site in Calcasieu Parish, La.

The proposed project includes three 5.5 million tpy liquefaction trains which will utilize existing infrastructure. The existing Lake Charles LNG import and regasification terminal has about 430,000 cu m of above ground LNG storage capacity, two deep water docks capable of handling ships with up to 217,000 cu m of capacity, and a deep-water turning basin.

Lake Charles LNG project milestones

In June, Energy Transfer LNG Export LLC agreed to supply an additional 1.0 million tpy of LNG to Chevron USA Inc. from the Lake Charles LNG. The 20-year agreement increases Chevron’s total contracted volume from Energy Transfer LNG to 3.0 million tpy, following the initial 2.0 million tpy agreement signed in December 2024.

In May, the company signed a deal with MidOcean Energy that will see 30% of the project’s costs paid. That same month, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) issued an order granting Lake Charles LNG Export and its affiliates an extension through Dec. 31, 2031 to construct the export project and related pipeline modifications and make it available for service.

Energy Transfer expects to make a final investment decision on the project this year.