Texas LNG LLC is seeking approval from the U.S. Energy Department to export as much as 2 million tons of liquefied natural gas (NYMEX:NGG14) a year from south Texas.
Permission to ship to markets covered by free trade agreements is expected as soon as the end of the first quarter, the closely held, Houston-based company said yesterday in a statement. Shipping to non-FTA markets may be approved later this year, Chief Executive Officer Vivek Chandra said in the statement.
A surplus in natural gas output stemming from the hydraulic fracturing of previously untapped shale deposits has prompted U.S. companies to seek export outlets. Cheniere Energy Inc. was the first to gain approval for LNG exports in the lower 48 states. Freeport LNG Development LP said in June the U.S. may have as many as six LNG projects by 2022.
Texas LNG signed a lease option agreement with the Port of Brownsville in December as a possible location for its proposed LNG export facility.
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