The U.S. Energy Department has approved a 12% expansion in exports at Cheniere Energy’s Corpus Christi liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal, located on the La Quinta Ship Channel in South Texas .
The authorization, signed by U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright, allows additional exports of up to 0.47 billion cubic feet per day (bcf/d) of U.S. natural gas as LNG to non-free trade agreement (non-FTA) countries from Trains 8 and 9 of the Corpus Christi Stage 3 project (CCL Stage 3), known as the Midscale Trains 8 & 9 Project.
With this, Corpus Christi LNG is authorized to export a total of 4.45 bcf/d, making it the second-largest LNG export project in the U.S.
“In the last ten years, American innovation and President Trump’s leadership transformed the United States into the world’s largest exporter of LNG,” Wright said. “This order helps further strengthen America’s LNG export capacity, delivering peace abroad and prosperity for Americans at home. I could not be prouder to be here today in Corpus Christi, standing alongside the American workers responsible for unleashing American energy dominance.”
Corpus Christi LNG has been operating as an export terminal since 2018. Cheniere Energy announced a positive final investment decision (FID) for Trains 8 and 9 in June 2025.