Oregon LNG was granted a conditional 20-year permit on Thursday for global exports of liquefied natural gas (LNG).
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) authorized the company to export up to 1.25 billion cubic feet per day of LNG to countries that do not have a free trade agreement with the United States, analysis site Fuel Fix reported.
Following its review, the DOE concluded that opponents of the Oregon LNG application had not demonstrated that the requested authorization would be inconsistent with the public interest. Moreover, it said that the proposed exports are likely to yield net economic benefits to the United States.
Oregon LNG already has authorization to ship to any of the 20 nations with which the United States has a free trade agreement. This approval allows the largest Asian buyers to purchase from Oregon LNG, said Peter Hansen, the company's chief executive officer.
The company has plans to construct, own and operate a new LNG peak-shaving, liquefaction and export facility located on the Skipanon Peninsula in Warrenton, Oregon.
The $6.3 billion Oregon LNG project is currently under National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) review. Before construction can commence it also still requires final clearance by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) and DOE, as well as other approvals.
Works are planned to include a marine loading terminal, two full-containment 160,000 cubic meter LNG storage tanks and facilities to support ship berthing and cargo loading.
