Plaquemines LNG, a liquefied natural gas export terminal operating for less than two years near New Orleans, has received fast-tracked permitting from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for an $18 billion expansion project. Under the Trump administration’s “national energy emergency” declaration issued last year, the facility’s public comment period was reduced from 30 days to 10 days, accelerating the typical regulatory review process.
The proposed expansion would more than double the terminal’s size, growing from approximately 590 acres to about 1,220 acres along the Mississippi River. If completed, the facility would become the largest liquefied natural gas export terminal in North America, according to its owner, Virginia-based Venture Global. The Army Corps estimates that the expansion could damage up to 470 acres of wetlands and river bottoms in central Plaquemines Parish, located roughly 25 miles south of New Orleans.
The project occurs amid an ongoing coastal crisis in Louisiana. Plaquemines Parish has lost more than 250 square miles of land over the past 60 years due to subsidence, sea level rise, and erosion, with projections indicating another 300 square miles could disappear within the next 50 years. Environmental advocates have raised concerns that expedited permitting will reduce scrutiny of dredging, in-water construction, and marsh filling activities in a region with limited remaining land.
The emergency declaration identified over 600 energy infrastructure projects that could receive expedited review under the Clean Water Act exemption process. The expansion would increase Plaquemines LNG’s production capacity from approximately 1.4 trillion cubic feet of gas annually to around 2.3 trillion. The facility currently releases roughly 8.1 million tons of greenhouse gases per year, with federal filings suggesting the expanded operation could produce at least 9 million tons annually. Some state officials view the expansion favorably for its potential economic and job creation benefits.
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