The nation’s first shipment of liquefied natural gas is expected to leave the shores of Louisiana imminently, marking the beginning of the U.S.’s bid to become a major energy exporter of the clean-burning fuel.
The Department of Energy and industry groups announced Wednesday that natural gas is being loaded onto the LNG tanker “Asia Vision,” which will begin its trek soon to Brazil.
Republican Sen. David Vitter of Louisiana said the Sabine Pass LNG export facility has created thousands of jobs, providing “a major boost to our economy, and it’s so encouraging to see the project come to fruition.”
“Bringing in and supporting major economic development projects like this is huge for Louisiana, and we need to continue to take advantage of Louisiana’s abundant resources,” Vitter added.
The project’s owner, Cheniere Energy Partners, said the “historic event opens a new chapter for the country in energy trade and is a significant milestone for Cheniere.”
Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz announced the milestone in giving Wednesday’s keynote luncheon address at the major energy conference IHS CERAWeek in Houston.
Vitter’s office says the federal permitting process for the facility at Sabine Pass began nearly six years ago. A bill pending on the Senate floor would speed up the process for exporting natural gas.
The industry’s pursuit of exporting facilities stems from the country’s recent climb to become the biggest natural gas producer in the world. The high production has brought the price of the fuel down to record lows, and producers have been looking to export as a new source of demand.
Low prices are a blessing to consumers, but if prices drop too low it forces drillers to shutter operations and lay off workers. The hope is that more export terminals will increase production as well as boost prices.
The Energy Department said last week that it approved about a half dozen import-export licenses for facilities around the country, including the review of a petition from automaker Toyota to export gas to Mexico. Toyota’s petition was withdrawn, but the rest were approved.
