An improved, quicker process of getting US-produced liquefied natural gas (LNG) shipments to foreign markets took a step closer to reality with the House of Representatives passing a defence-related bill that includes LNG provisions.
Passing of the FY17 National Defence Authorization Act (NDAA) approves a streamlined process by which the Department of Energy grants permits.
The new provisions would mean export applications being reviewed within 30 days and then decided on within a further 30 days.
America is on the way to being a dominant player in LNG because of its vast reserves of inland shale but the number of liquefaction and export terminals is still lagging.
The House’s version of the NDAA must still be reconciled with the Senate’s one, and there are some significant differences. Once reconciled it must then be signed by the president.
The reason why the number of liquefaction-export terminals is “lagging” is partly that most approved ones are still under construction, while market prospects for any more are dismal. Moreover, if the “streamlining” of permits only addresses export permits, that won’t be much of an improvement. There’s a lot more to these project approvals, particularly for greenfield projects.