Cheniere’s Corpus Christi LNG Cleared for 12% Export Expansion by DOE
The U.S. Department of Energy has approved a 12% increase in LNG exports from Cheniere’s Corpus Christi terminal, authorizing an additional 0.47 billion cubic feet per day and raising total capacity to 4.45 billion cubic feet per day.
(P&GJ) — The U.S. Department of Energy has authorized a 12% increase in exports from Cheniere Energy’s Corpus Christi LNG terminal in Texas, allowing an additional 0.47 billion cubic feet per day of natural gas to be shipped to non-Free Trade Agreement countries.
The approval covers exports from Trains 8 and 9 of the Corpus Christi Stage 3 project, also known as the Midscale Trains 8 & 9 Project. With the order, the facility’s total authorized export capacity rises to 4.45 billion cubic feet per day, making it the second-largest LNG export project in the United States.
Energy Secretary Chris Wright announced the decision during a visit to the terminal.
“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 exporting since 2018. Cheniere reached a final investment decision on Trains 8 and 9 in June 2025.
The DOE said that since lifting the prior pause on non-FTA LNG export approvals, it has authorized more than 18.2 billion cubic feet per day of LNG export capacity. U.S. LNG exports have grown from 0.5 billion cubic feet per day in 2016 to 15.0 billion cubic feet per day in 2025, with the Energy Information Administration projecting volumes to exceed 18.1 billion cubic feet per day in 2027.