DOE Approves LNG Export Permit for Golden Pass Terminal
The issuance to Golden Pass marks the Department of Energy’s third LNG-related approval since the new administration took office, with Commonwealth and JAX LNG certified prior.
Chris Wright, Head of the Department of Energy (DOE), approved Golden Pass LNG Terminal’s (Golden Pass) export permit extension, granting additional time to begin LNG exports from the terminal presently under construction in Sabine Pass, TX. Upon completion, Golden Pass may export up to 2.5 Bcf/d of LNG, significantly supporting the natural gas export market in the United States.
QatarEnergy and ExxonMobil own Golden Pass LNG, with exporting activities scheduled to begin in late-2025. Once operational, it’s expected to become a top 10 LNG export terminal in the United States.
“Exporting U.S. LNG supports American jobs, bolsters our national security and strengthens America’s position as a world energy leader,” said Wright. “President Trump has pledged to restore energy dominance for the American people, and I am proud to help deliver on that agenda with today’s permit extension.”
Liquefaction trains at Golden Pass LNG; image credit: Golden Pass LNG
The issuance to Golden Pass marks the DOE’s third LNG-related approval since the new administration took office, with Commonwealth and JAX LNG certified prior.
“Golden Pass was the first project approved for exports to non-free trade agreement countries by DOE during the first Trump Administration, and it is gratifying that this project is so close to being able to deliver its first LNG,” said Tala Goudarzi, Acting Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management.
More DOE News
In late January 2025, the DOE’s Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations (OCED) awarded the final two clean hydrogen hubs: the Heartland Hydrogen Hub and Mid-Atlantic Hydrogen Hub (MACH2). Both will begin Phase 1 activities, with Heartland receiving $20 million and MACH2 receiving $18.8 million of the $925 million and $750 million federal cost shares, respectively.
The Heartland Hydrogen Hub contains planned sites across Minnesota, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wisconsin—a region recognized for agriculture, mineral mining, and energy production. Led by the University of North Dakota’s Energy & Environmental Research Center, the Hub will use new and pre-existing energy resources and infrastructure to produce commercial-scale quantities of clean hydrogen for low-carbon nitrogen fertilizer.
MACH2’s clean hydrogen will be used in industrial applications, such as power generation, replacement fuel for process heaters, and heavy-duty transportation. This includes multiple refueling stations to serve sanitation trash trucks, street sweepers, cargo handling equipment, and fuel cell-equipped electric buses. Phase 1 will also conduct initial planning, design, and community and labor engagement activities.
Also in January, Envana Software Solutions (Envana) received $5.2 million from the DOE and non-federal sources to accelerate its oil and gas methane monitoring and mitigation technologies. Under the Methane Emissions Reduction Program, Envana will integrate production facility sensor data with methane monitoring sensors for its AI and physics-based models.
Envana’s oil and gas-based greenhouse gas emissions management platform integrates operational data with methane detection and measurement inputs from numerous sources, producing accurate emissions quantification and source attribution. These advantages enable customers to enhance their leak detection and repair programs and implement emissions reduction strategies. The Envana platform aligns with OGMP 2.0 and supports customers in building methane management systems.
