Mar 6, 2025 - Energy & Climate

LNG player to expand Louisiana export facility

Ben Geman

Illustration of a battleship style board game with a liquefied natural gas ship as one of the pieces, surrounded by orange hits just missing the ship. — Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios

Venture Global LNG plans to expand its export facility in Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana with a roughly $18 billion investment, the company said.

Why it matters: This would raise the capacity of Plaquemines, which began initial shipments in December, by over 18 million tons annually to reach over 45 million, Venture said.

It will be North America's biggest LNG facility, "supplying LNG to our allies while making a substantial impact on the U.S. balance of trade," CEO Mike Sabel said in a statement.

The big picture: Thursday's announcement is a clear sign of LNG's political priority in Trump 2.0.

Both DOE boss Chris Wright and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum will give remarks later Thursday at the plant.

Friction point: Climate activists oppose LNG expansion, while supporters say it helps displace coal abroad.

Biden officials produced a report late last year warning that "unfettered" exports would raise domestic prices and worsen emissions.
But the conclusions are highly contested — and disregarded by Trump's team. "We believe this will be the best regulatory environment in decades," Sabel said.

What we're watching: The market reaction and pending DOE permit decisions on Venture's separate CP2 project.

Venture, which also reports earnings Thursday, has seen its share price slide since going public in January.

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LNG player to expand Louisiana export facility

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