Construction at the Texas LNG export terminal on the Port of Brownsville waterfront.
Port of Brownsville, Texas, September 6, 2025
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission reissued the Final Order authorizing construction and operation of the Texas LNG export facility at the Port of Brownsville, clearing a major regulatory hurdle and accelerating the developer’s path to a targeted final investment decision before year‑end. The reauthorization follows a supplemental environmental review and sets a construction completion target toward the end of the decade for the two‑train, 4 mtpa terminal. Owners report offtake commitments sufficient to support FID while a major EPC contractor leads construction. The decision comes amid concerns about potential global LNG oversupply and construction and financing risks.
Federal regulators have reissued the final authorization for a proposed liquefied natural gas export terminal in southern Texas, accelerating the project’s schedule and boosting the developer’s plan to make a final investment decision before year-end. The action covers a 4 million metric tons per year export permit and includes an approved construction timetable that aims for mechanical completion by November 2029.
The commission reissued the Final Order on August 21, 2025, three months earlier than expected. The updated authorization follows a supplemental environmental review that addressed air quality and environmental justice concerns raised in prior court proceedings. Regulators also extended the start-of-operations deadline from November 2024 to November 2029 to match the new construction schedule.
The project developer, a privately held energy infrastructure company, said the early reauthorization significantly speeds its progress through the second half of the year and that customer purchase commitments are in place at volumes sufficient to reach a final investment decision. The company is targeting a year-end decision and has awarded the engineering, procurement and construction contract on a lump-sum turnkey basis to a large EPC contractor.
The planned export facility is sited on the north side of the Brownsville Ship Channel, roughly 2.5 miles southwest of Port Isabel and about 19 miles northeast of Brownsville, Texas. The design calls for two liquefaction trains and will receive feed gas from a planned third-party pipeline. The export permit held by the developer covers up to 4 mtpa, which equals roughly 204.4 billion cubic feet per year of natural gas equivalent.
The project’s authorization was previously vacated by a court in 2024 because regulators had not issued a supplemental environmental impact statement. That order was modified in early 2025 to remand the matter without vacatur, and regulators completed a supplemental review in mid-2025. The new Final Order reaffirms that the project is not inconsistent with the public interest and keeps prior directives in place.
The Texas project is one among many proposed or under-construction U.S. LNG terminals. Industry data and market analysis indicate that developers are racing to lock in export capacity while buyer demand and global market conditions are shifting. Market research projects that global LNG supply could exceed demand as early as 2027, with additional large-scale capacity coming online by 2030 and major pipeline expansions potentially moving more gas directly to long-term buyers in Asia by 2031. Those trends add an oversupply risk that could strain prices and the commercial outlook for new plants.
Several large U.S. projects are under construction or awaiting funding decisions. Notable examples include multi-billion dollar developments in Louisiana and Texas that together represent tens of millions of tons per year of potential new export capacity. Four U.S. projects alone, if approved, could add about 63 million tons per year of export capacity. Even projects already under construction, representing roughly $35 billion in capital, face labor and supply pressures that have pushed some timelines back.
The Texas terminal reports signed offtake commitments from a mix of commodity traders, upstream producers and global trading houses and utilities. The developer has said those commitments are sufficient to move toward a final investment decision. Construction management is led by a major EPC contractor under a lump-sum turnkey agreement, a structure aimed at locking in cost and schedule certainty.
Early reissuance of the Final Order reduces one key regulatory hurdle and gives the developer a clearer runway to secure financing and start onsite work. But the project moves against a backdrop of potential global oversupply and tightening construction labor markets. That combination means timing and contract execution will be critical if the terminal is to reach the market on its planned schedule and at competitive cost.
The regulator reissued the project’s Final Order on August 21, 2025, and approved a construction schedule aiming for completion by November 2029.
The project holds export authorization for up to 4 million metric tons per year, equivalent to about 204.4 billion cubic feet of natural gas per year.
A supplemental environmental impact review was completed to address issues raised in earlier court proceedings, and the regulator’s reissued Final Order follows that review.
The developer is targeting a final investment decision by year-end and reports having enough customer commitments to support that move, though formal financial close has not yet been announced.
Key risks include global market oversupply pressures, potential price weakness, construction labor shortages and the pace of equipment delivery and financing.
| Feature | Detail |
|---|---|
| Location | North side of the Brownsville Ship Channel, near Port Isabel, Texas |
| Authorized export capacity | 4 million metric tons per year (≈204.4 Bcf/year) |
| Design | Two liquefaction trains; feed gas via third-party pipeline |
| Regulatory milestone | Final Order reissued on August 21, 2025; supplemental environmental review completed |
| Target FID | By the end of the current year (developer target) |
| Construction completion target | November 2029 |
| Construction delivery model | Lump-sum turnkey EPC contract |
| Offtake support | Customer commitments reported from a mix of traders, producers and utilities |
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