US LNG projects have been promoted as an alternative to Russian gas in the Gulf of Mexico

A liquefied natural gas refinery at Cameroon, Louisiana on August 26, 2020 – AFP

Two years ago, the American liquefied natural gas (LNG) company Tellurian fell on the stock market, laid off workers en masse and halted its export terminal program in Louisiana.

Today, its chairman, Charif Souki, asked investors and bankers “Can we fund your project?” Glad to be “in line at the door” to say that.

“Europeans’ need and desire to no longer depend on Russian gas is clearly a positive sign for the market.

On March 8, the United States banned Russia’s LNG, oil and coal imports due to the war unleashed after Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine in late February. For years, Washington has been encouraging Europe to become less dependent on its neighbors’ energy resources.

Currently, eight terminals allow the United States to export 400 million cubic meters of gas per day, and the construction of about 14 new terminals has already been approved by the Federal Energy Regulatory Authority (FERC).

This is the case for Driftwood LNG, the future Tellurian liquefaction site and export terminal, just south of Lake Charles, in the southern state of Louisiana.

It has been closed for a year and a half and construction is set to begin next month. It can export 100 million cubic meters per day.

“In principle, we can supply LNG by 2026,” oil companies Shell, Vittol and Kunvor told Lebanese-American businessman Sharif Sookie at the CERAWeek event, the best exhibition for the energy sector. Houston, Texas.

In Louisiana, where Ferc has approved five projects, construction is expected to accelerate in the coming months, with seven projects planned for Texas and Mississippi (southern).

– “Faster than before” –

Since its first export in 2016, the region has become a major shipping port for LNG. The network of pipelines connects the Gulf states of Mexico with the fields to the south, the Burmese and Haynesville basins, but also to Marseilles in the northeast, the largest marine reserve in the country.

Upon arrival at the coast, the gas is liquefied and shipped to hydrocarbon ships, mainly exported to Europe.

Not far from the future shipyard, Venture Global LNG this month saw its first LNG tanker leave its new Calcase Pass terminal, built in 29 months, next to its plant, recalls its CEO Mike Sable.

He believes that in the aftermath of the Ukraine crisis, authorities are issuing their permits “faster than ever”, despite the many administrative procedures on site or another factory under construction near New Orleans.

Environmentalists, however, are concerned.

Environmental NGO CIEL estimates that “increasing gas production in the United States is a loss to the Gulf, European and climate communities.”

“LNG brings together all the environmental impacts of shale gas, as well as emissions from energy-intensive liquefaction, refrigeration and transportation.

“The war (in Ukraine) should increase investment in renewable energy … not the dirty energy that clearly increases political, economic and climate instability,” he told the AFP.

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