The US Department of Energy has approved a 12% expansion of liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports from Cheniere Energy’s Corpus Christi LNG Terminal in Texas. The new authorization allows an additional 0.47 billion cubic feet per day of U.S. natural gas to be shipped as LNG to non‑Free Trade Agreement (non‑FTA) countries from Trains 8 and 9 of the facility’s Stage 3 project.
With this expansion, Corpus Christi LNG is now permitted to export 4.45 billion cubic feet per day, making it the second‑largest LNG export project in the United States. Energy Secretary Chris Wright highlighted the continued growth of U.S. LNG exports, noting a decade of expansion and the country’s position as the world’s top LNG exporter. The DOE writes:
U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright today signed an export authorization for a 12% expansion in exports at Cheniere Energy’s Corpus Christi liquefied natural gas (LNG) Terminal. Today’s authorization allows additional exports of up to 0.47 billion cubic feet per day (Bcf/d) of U.S. natural gas as LNG to non-Free Trade Agreement (non-FTA) countries from Trains 8 and 9 of the Corpus Christi Stage 3 Project, known as the Midscale Trains 8 & 9 Project. With today’s order, Corpus Christi LNG is now authorized to export a total of 4.45 Bcf/d, making it the second largest LNG export project in the U.S.
Secretary Wright announced the export expansion approval during a visit to the terminal. He also highlighted the United States’ leadership in LNG exports and the recent 10-year anniversary of the first cargo of U.S. LNG from the lower-48 states.
“In the last ten years, American innovation and President Trump’s leadership transformed the United States into the world’s largest exporter of LNG,” said Secretary Wright. “This order helps further strengthen America’s LNG export capacity, delivering peace abroad and prosperity for Americans at home. I could not be prouder to be here today in Corpus Christi, standing alongside the American workers responsible for unleashing American energy dominance.”
“Every action we’re taking is focused on providing more reliable and secure energy to the world,” said Kyle Haustveit, Assistant Secretary of the Hydrocarbons and Geothermal Energy Office. “Our commitment to strengthening global partnerships through LNG exports helps to ensure a stable energy future and drive economic prosperity.”
Corpus Christi LNG has been operating as an export terminal since 2018, and Cheniere Energy announced a positive final investment decision of Trains 8 and 9 in June 2025.
Today, the United States is the world’s largest producer of natural gas and LNG exporter. Since the Trump Administration ended the previous administration’s LNG export approval ban to non-FTA countries, the Department has approved more than 18.2 Bcf/d of LNG export authorizations — a volume greater than the export capacity of the world’s second largest LNG exporting nation. LNG exports surged from 0.5 Bcf/d in 2016 to 15.0 Bcf/d in 2025, and in the February Short-Term Energy Outlook, the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) forecasts U.S. LNG exports to exceed 18.1 Bcf/d in 2027.
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