Delfin Midstream is moving forward with its first 4.4mn t/yr (600mn ft³/d) floating LNG export unit (FLNG) off the coast of southwest Louisiana after finalizing $5bn of investments, the company announced today.
Delfin's deepwater port project, which is authorized to host 13.2mn t/yr of export capacity about 45 miles off the coast of Cameron Parish, will be the first FLNG facility in the US.
The first unit is targeted to begin producing LNG in 2030 before starting commercial operations — the point at which it begins serving its long-term customers — in the first half of 2031. The investment group behind the final investment decision includes the BlackRock-backed Global Infrastructure Partners, Mitsui OSK Lines, Vitol and Diameter Capital Partners.
Delfin plans to decide on its proposed second and third FLNG units, each of which would also have 4.4mn t/yr of capacity, over the next year. The project has sold 3.55mn t/yr of capacity under binding, long-term contracts, according to filings with the US Department of Energy (DOE). Its contracts cover 1.15mn t/yr to US gas producer Expand Energy, 1mn t/yr to UK utility Centrica, 900,000 t/yr to Swiss trader Gunvor and 500,000 t/yr to Vitol. The project also had a 600,000 t/yr deal with Hartree, but the two firms terminated the deal in late April, according to a DOE filing on 29 May.
Delfin also signed a 1mn t/yr agreement with Vitol last November, which will deliver to the UAE's International Resources Holding under a long-term contract. The volumes are in addition to Vitol's first deal with Delfin, a Vitol spokesperson told Argus in November, but it is unclear if they are linked to Vitol's investment in the FLNG unit. The second Vitol deal is not listed among Delfin's customer filings with DOE, which typically requires projects to submit long-term, binding contracts within 30 days of being signed.
Additionally, Delfin signed a non-binding agreement in March 2025 to supply 1.5mn t/yr to Germany's Securing Energy for Europe.
Delfin intended to decide on the first FLNG unit last November but pushed back the decision as it sought investors. The project also faced a setback in February when part of its onshore pipeline network exploded as Delfin underwent maintenance to restart the long-mothballed line.
US LNG developers have now launched construction for 21.7mn t/yr of capacity this year. This comes after developers greenlit about 67.2mn t/yr of new capacity in 2025. One other project, Glenfarne's 4mn t/yr Texas LNG project in south Texas, plans to make an investment decision by the end of June.
