Regulatory documents show Commonwealth LNG is asking federal regulators for a four-year extension to construct and begin exporting liquefied natural gas from its proposed export facility in Cameron Parish, Reuters reports.
In a letter to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, Commonwealth says the extension is needed because of an approval pause implemented by former U.S. President Joe Biden last year. While President Donald Trump lifted the freeze earlier this year, the company says it cannot meet the present deadline of November 2027 and wants it extended to December 2031.
“These delays were beyond the control of Commonwealth and unavoidably affected Commonwealth’s ability to advance the Project on the schedule contemplated when its application was filed,” the company says in the filing.
Commonwealth has so far sold 5 million metric tons per annum of planned capacity but is still short of selling out the total 9.5 mtpa that would come online upon completion. LNG developers usually try to sell most of the future flows in long-term agreements before giving the financial green light for a plant to be built. The company has previously said it plans to make its final investment decision on the project before the end of the year.
Commonwealth did not immediately respond to a question about whether the excess capacity that has not been sold yet also played a role in the request for more time.
