U.S.-based liquefied natural gas (LNG) export infrastructure development company Delfin Midstream has secured key permits and approvals for the construction of LNG projects, under development in Louisiana and offshore in the Gulf of America.
On March 21, 2025, Delfin LNG, a subsidiary of Delfin, received a license from the Maritime Administration (MARAD) authorizing Delfin LNG to own, construct, operate, and eventually decommission a deepwater port, to export LNG from the United States.
The license was issued pursuant to the Deepwater Port Act of 1974 and MARAD’s 2017 Record of Decision and is in accordance with President Trump’s Executive Order titled, Unleashing American Energy, signed January 20, 2025.
The Delfin deepwater port project will be the first offshore LNG export project in the United States. The approval process involved MARAD and the U.S. Coast Guard working with approximately 15 cooperating federal agencies along with the States of Texas and Louisiana.
On March 10, 2025, the Department of Energy approved an LNG export permit extension for Delfin LNG, granting additional time to start exports from the project. The permit extension, which had been delayed under the prior administration, was announced by Secretary Wright in his opening remarks at CERAWeek in Houston.
“The level of support by the President of the United States and his administration for the development of critical energy infrastructure has been truly remarkable.
“The Delfin floating LNG project has the potential to be not just the first LNG export deepwater port facility in the United States, but a significant economic contributor and job creator over the long-term. We would like to express our deep appreciation for the significant work undertaken by Sean Duffy, U.S. Secretary of Transportation, and Chris Wright, U.S. Secretary of Energy,” said Dudley Poston, Delfin CEO.
The brownfield deepwater port that Delfin is developing requires minimal additional infrastructure investment to support up to three floating LNG (FLNG) vessels producing up to 13 million tonnes of LNG annually.