The US Department of Energy (DOE) has granted an export permit to free-trade countries to Argent LNG for its proposed Louisiana project, Reuters reported on July 27.

The proposed LNG export terminal would have a production capacity of up to 25 mn tonnes per year (tpy) of the super-chilled fuel making it one of the largest LNG plants on the US Gulf Coast.

The authorization is a key step forward for the facility, which will be located at Port Fourchon, Louisiana around 160 km south of New Orleans.

The approval from DOE gives the plant the ability to ship abroad up to 1.3 tn cubic feet (36.8 bn cubic metres) of natural gas per year for a 20-year period beginning when the project commences commercial operations.

The authorization also gives the facility the ability to export any unused volumes over a three-year make-up period after the end of the plant’s export term.

Argent LNG, which is a privately owned US company, is now in the midst of obtaining a permit to ship the super-cooled gas to countries that do not possess free-trade agreements with the US.

The approval for US free-trade agreement partners gives the facility the ability to export LNG to countries such as Australia, Canada, South Korea, and Singapore, in addition to any country the US may enter a free-trade agreement with in the future.

Argent LNG applied for both its FTA and non-FTA export licenses in March. The company will now focus on taking a final investment decision (FID) on the project.

Earlier in July, Argent LNG inked a long-term partnership with Ukrainian state energy firm Naftogaz. The deal will see LNG exported to regasification terminals in Europe and transported through the European pipeline to Ukraine and other countries, making use of Ukraine’s extensive underground gas storage facilities.

A non-binding agreement was also signed with Bangladesh’s state-owned Petrobangla for up to 5 mn tonnes of LNG. Argent has also inked a market participation deal with Turkey’s Enerji Piyasalari Isletme (EPIAS).