Texas LNG seeks approval to export 2 million tons

Texas LNG is seeking approval from the US Energy Department to export as much as 2 million tpy of liquefied natural gas (LNG) 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 in a statement. Shipping to non-FTA markets may be approved later this year, CEO Vivek Chandra said.

A surplus in natural gas output stemming from the hydraulic fracturing of previously untapped shale deposits has prompted US companies to seek export outlets. 

Cheniere Energy was the first to gain approval for LNG exports in the lower 48 states. Freeport LNG said in June the US 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.