HOUSTON — The Department of Energy’s pause on liquefied natural gas exports will wrap up well within a year, Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm told E&E News in an interview Monday.
“By the time we meet here at this place next year, it’s going to be long in the rear-view mirror,” Granholm said at the CERAWeek by S&P Global energy conference in downtown Houston.
Her comments mark the first time the secretary has publicly firmed up timing for the pause announced in late January. The pause has sparked a fierce backlash among U.S. producers and global buyers.
U.S. LNG exports have spiked in recent years. In the first half of 2023, they averaged 11.6 billion cubic feet per day, making the U.S. the largest LNG exporter globally. In 2022, the U.S. exported 10.2 Bcf/d, a 16 percent increase over 2021. All told, DOE has approved LNG projects that could bring exports to 48 Bcf/d in the coming years, according to the department.
