### The DOE’s LNG Export Pause Continues Despite New Fortress Authorization
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has maintained its pause in issuing liquefied natural gas (LNG) export permits, even after authorizing New Fortress Energy to re-export up to 0.4 billion cubic feet per day (bcfd) of LNG to non-free trade agreement (FTA) countries for a five-year term.
### New Fortress Authorization Highlights Trend
On September 3, 2024, the DOE granted New Fortress Energy an LNG export permit for its Altamira floating LNG export platform located off the coast of Mexico’s Gulf coast. This authorization allows New Fortress to re-export up to 1.4 million metric tons of LNG annually, which translates to approximately a 3% increase in available LNG exports to non-FTA countries, primarily in Europe.
### Pause Explanation and Implications
The DOE initiated a pause on LNG export permits in January 2024 to update its analysis and consider the evolving impacts of LNG exports on the economy and the environment. The agency emphasized the need to address concerns related to global market changes, particularly the rise in carbon-free energy development and policies aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
Although the New Fortress authorization marks the first such permit issued since the pause began, it does not indicate an end to the wider policy. A DOE spokesperson clarified that this action merely authorizes an existing and operational project without increasing its total export volume but enhancing its availability to non-FTA countries for the upcoming winter.
The pause has significant implications for future U.S. LNG export development. It has led to regulatory uncertainty and slowed contracting tied to U.S. LNG supply. Industry groups and attorneys general from 16 Republican states have challenged the White House’s decision, with a federal court judge in Louisiana temporarily blocking the permitting freeze. However, the long-term impact of this ruling remains uncertain, and the DOE continues to appeal the