US Senator, Mary Landrieu, has announced that Sempra Energy, the California-based natural gas company, will be constructing a liquefied natural gas (LNG) export facility in Cameron Parish, Louisiana.
Sempra already operates an import-only terminal in Southwest Louisiana, but in 2011 the company applied to the Department of Energy (DOE) to modify and expand the facility into an export plant. It has taken until now for regulators to approve the project, but now that has been granted, the plant will be a major driver for the regional economy. It is thought that the project will help create 3,000 construction jobs and 140 full-time jobs.
The facility upgrade is estimated to cost approximately $10 billion, but will help Sempra Energy become a bigger player on the LNG export market. The senator felt that this approval was “long overdue” but will serve as an important addition to the already strong energy development strategy that the state has been implementing.