Another permit in place for America’s ‘first’ offshore LNG export project

U.S.-based LNG export infrastructure development company Delfin Midstream has confirmed the receipt of one more key permit for its American liquefied natural gas (LNG) project, which is under development in Louisiana and offshore in the U.S. Gulf.

The first recent permit for the firm’s Delfin LNG project came on March 10, 2025, when the Department of Energy (DOE) green-lighted the LNG export permit extension, granting additional time to begin exports from the project. Chris Wright, U.S. Secretary of Energy, confirmed the extension, which was delayed under the prior administration.

According to Delfin Midstream, the first permit was closely followed by the first deepwater port license from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration (MARAD) to own, construct, operate, and eventually decommission a deepwater port to export LNG from the United States.

The company, which underlined that MARAD issued the license per President Donald Trump’s Executive Order titled ‘Unleashing American Energy,’ signed January 20, 2025, claims that the Delfin deepwater port project will be “the first offshore LNG export project” in the United States.

Furthermore, MARAD and the U.S. Coast Guard reportedly worked with approximately 15 cooperating federal agencies and the states of Texas and Louisiana during the approval process. The firm uses low-cost floating LNG (FLNG) technology, and the brownfield deepwater port it is developing requires minimal additional infrastructure investment to support up to three floating LNG vessels, producing up to 13 million tons of LNG annually.

Dudley Poston, Delfin’s CEO, commented: “The level of support by the President of the United States and his administration for the development of critical energy infrastructure has been truly remarkable. The Delfin floating LNG project has the potential to be not just the first LNG export deepwater port facility in the United States, but a significant economic contributor and job creator over the long-term.

“We would like to express our deep appreciation for the significant work undertaken by Sean Duffy, U.S. Secretary of Transportation, and Chris Wright, U.S. Secretary of Energy. We also share our appreciation for the governors of Louisiana and Texas for their significant involvement and contributions to this process. With clear vision and action, this administration has enabled a project that can significantly realign energy economics for the long-term benefit of the people of the United States.”

The Delfin project, majority-owned by Fairwood Peninsula, Talisman Global Alternative Master, and Talisman Global Capital Master, aims to reach a final investment decision (FID) later this year and have construction begin on its FLNG vessel. The extension for Delfin was the fourth LNG-related approval from the DOE since President Trump returned to the White House.

Before this, the U.S. Department of Energy gave an export approval to Commonwealth LNG on February 14, an order on rehearing removing barriers for the use of LNG as bunkering fuel announced on February 28, and an approval providing the Golden Pass LNG terminal more time to start exports issued on March 5. 

The DOE also recently disclosed its action plan to cut the red tape for its LNG industry and lessen the burden of regulatory barriers preventing LNG export projects from requesting commencement date extensions.