Commonwealth LNG developer to nearly double capacity

Spanish Market: Natural gas
15/09/26

US natural gas and LNG producer Caturus plans to expand the Commonwealth LNG export terminal in Louisiana with 7.8mn t/yr (1bn ft³/d) of new capacity, the developer announced today.

The five-train expansion would nearly double production at the terminal, where private equity fund Kimmeridge-backed Caturus reached a final investment decision on the initial 9.5mn t/yr project in May. The developer announced the expansion alongside officials from the administration of president Donald Trump on Tuesday at the G20 Energy Abundance Ministerial Meeting in Houston, Texas.

The expansion project will use the same technology and construction approach, drawing on established vendor and supplier relationships, Caturus chief corporate affairs officer Brian Cain said at the event.

Caturus still aims to begin commercial operations on the first phase in 2030, with the second phase following "in the early 2030s" to raise annual production capacity to 17.3mn t/yr, the company said in a statement.

The company has not yet initiated the expansion's regulatory proceedings with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) or the Department of Energy (DOE), records show. FERC oversees permission to build and operate LNG export terminals, and DOE regulates project export volumes to countries that do and do not have free trade agreements with the US — known as FTA and non-FTA countries, respectively.

The initial phase of Commonwealth LNG stood out as one of the projects most hampered by former President Joe Biden's year-long moratorium on issuing non-FTA export licenses, a policy the Trump administration quickly rescinded by granting a license to Commonwealth LNG in February 2025.

US interior secretary Doug Burgum and energy secretary Chris Wright were on hand for the expansion announcement as the US administration focused on business partnerships and deals during the three-day ministerial meetings.

The US government is now "giving the permission and getting out of the way" for such projects, Wright said.

By Tray Swanson and Eunice Bridges

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16/09/26

Dutch fossil exit roadmap highlights difficulties

London, 16 September (Argus) — The Netherlands has published a roadmap on transitioning away from fossil fuels, outlining the difficulties the country will face in the transition and setting no date for an ultimate halt to fossil fuel use. The plan aims at the "minimisation" of fossil fuel use by 2050, with its "ultimate" phase-out date left undefined. It identifies challenges in moving away from each of natural gas, oil and coal. The country committed to producing a roadmap to end fossil fuel use at the UN Cop 30 climate summit in Brazil last year, and recommitted to it at the Transitioning away from Fossil Fuels conference in Santa Marta in May. The latter conference was organised outside of formal UN channels and attended only by countries keen to advance on cutting fossil fuel use. The Netherlands co-hosted the meeting with Colombia. But the Latin American country's new administration has since said it plans to pursue a different approach to transitioning to cleaner energy, reopening the door to expanding oil and natural gas. The Dutch government said that the transition away from gas is made more difficult by the fuel's role in the Netherlands' energy system. "As long as full-fledged, sustainable alternatives are insufficiently available, natural gas remains essential for our society," the roadmap reads. Gas plays a large role in balancing the Netherlands' renewable-heavy power system, filling in during periods of low intermittent renewable output. Replacement of gas in domestic heating is underway, with increased electrification and insulation reducing consumption in recent years. But "uncertainties are considerably greater" on the use of gas in industry, the government said. Allocating fixed costs of the gas network to a shrinking number of users during the transition represents another difficulty. Some changes have been made which frontload costs to the coming years, when they can be spread across more users. Gas consumption would fall to around 110TWh by 2040, from around 250TWh in 2025, under the government's plan. But alternative government projections suggest consumption could fall to 140-190TWh. The government plans to prioritise domestic production of gas, citing its lower climate impact compared to imported LNG, and lower dependence on other countries. The country produces around 20 mn m³/d of natural gas, or the equivalent of 100TWh/yr. On oil, the government considers the transition to be relatively sure in mobility. But it said that phasing out of fossil fuel use in the chemical sector is more uncertain as demand for sustainable raw materials remains slow as a result of a lack of policy support. Coal use in the Netherlands is limited to the power and steel sectors. In the former, a ban will come into force in 2030, although this will negatively affect security of supply, according to the roadmap. In the steel sector the replacement of the country's two coal-consuming blast furnaces could take place in the 2030s, although this will depend on "technological and market developments," the government said. Environmental non-governmental organisation (NGO) welcomed the publication of the roadmap, but criticised the absence of phase out dates for oil and gas and ongoing gas production. By Rhys Talbot Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2026. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

Venezuela bet will take time to pay off: Armstrong

15/09/26

Venezuela bet will take time to pay off: Armstrong

Houston, 15 September (Argus) — Veteran oil wildcatter Bill Armstrong, who has secured a deal to explore 5mn acres off the coast of Venezuela, said it will take years to reach first production if successful. Denver-based Armstrong Oil & Gas, the company he founded, is ready to carry out seismic testing in the region after reaching an agreement with the interim Venezuela government, he said. "It won't be fast," Armstrong said today at the Super DUG 2026 conference in Houston, Texas. "The data quality is old — vintage seismic — and it's almost all 2D data, so you have to shoot it all with 3D, and that is not fast nor is it cheap." He said it could take five years to deliver the first volumes, though that was a "wild guess" and it hinges on the company making a commercial discovery in the first place. Armstrong was among the almost two dozen oil executives who attended a White House meeting in January as President Donald Trump pushed for the industry to invest as much as $100bn to help kickstart Venezuela's long-neglected energy sector. Deals announced so far have largely centered on smaller US independents, while bigger firms such as ExxonMobil and ConocoPhillips, which had their assets seized under previous Venezuelan governments, have adopted a more cautious approach. Armstrong, who helped revive interest in Alaska's North Slope after the Pikka discovery in 2013, said he never thought he would get an opportunity to tap Venezuela's oil riches. "Venezuela is like a Mecca for oil and gas," he said. "It's like going into Saudi Arabia or something, you know, where it's just like so prolific." That said, there were still risks involved and he cautioned that wildcatting was not for the faint-hearted. "The politics are good right now," Armstrong said. "You got to make sure the Venezuelans want you there. Right now, they do." By Stephen Cunningham Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2026. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

Malaysia to offer 250MW renewables under feed-in-tariff

15/09/26

Malaysia to offer 250MW renewables under feed-in-tariff

Singapore, 15 September (Argus) — Malaysia's Sustainable Energy Development Authority (Seda) has today announced feed-in-tariff (FIT) quota applications for renewable power plant projects scheduled for 2027. Biomass, small hydropower and biogas projects can participate in the bidding process which begins on 3 February 2027. Seda has allocated 120MW of installed capacity for biomass projects, 100MW for small hydropower projects and 30MW for biogas projects. Malaysia previously awarded a total of 331MW of renewable capacity this year , exceeding the government's target of 300MW. This included over 40 biogas, biomass and small hydropower projects, Seda said on 11 August. The application window for the next bidding process will close on 24 March 2027, and applicants should apply via Seda's online portal for FIT applications. Seda will hold a briefing session on 28 September to release details of bidding requirements. By Nadhir Mokhtar Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2026. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

Golden Pass LNG’s startup lags similar-size projects

14/09/26

Golden Pass LNG’s startup lags similar-size projects

Houston, 14 September (Argus) — QatarEnergy and ExxonMobil's 18.1mn t/yr (2.4bn ft³/d) Golden Pass LNG exported its ninth cargo last week following its shortest interval between shipments to date, but the southeast Texas terminal's ramp-up continues to lag comparable US Gulf coast projects nearly six months after LNG production began. The ExxonMobil-controlled 174,000m³ Seri Dian departed Golden Pass on 11 September with a 76,000t cargo, about 6.9 days after the terminal's previous export, according to Kpler data. The shipment shortened the average interval between cargoes to 17.8 days since Golden Pass loaded its first export on 22 April. No ships were docked at the terminal on 14 September, though QatarEnergy's 174,000m³ Al Kharrarah is idling off the Texas coast and could load the next cargo. But feedgas deliveries have remained inconsistent since LNG production started on 30 March, with the terminal's schedulers frequently reducing gas nominations during the day. As of 13 September, Golden Pass had received about 49.4bn ft³ of feedgas and exported the equivalent of 31.6bn ft³ as LNG, or 64pc of feedgas volumes, based on pipeline postings and Kpler ship-tracking data ( see output chart ). That performance trails commissioning rates achieved at comparable stick-built liquefaction projects on the US Gulf coast. During the first 168 days following the start of LNG production in 2016, Cheniere's 33mn t/yr Sabine Pass facility received 76.1bn ft³ of feedgas and exported the equivalent of 50.8bn ft³ as LNG, or 67pc of feedgas volumes. Over the same period after first LNG, Cheniere's 28.9mn t/yr Corpus Christi LNG exported 78pc of its 74.2bn ft³ of feedgas during commissioning in 2019, while Sempra Infrastructure's 15mn t/yr Cameron LNG exported 68pc of its 62.3bn ft³. Golden Pass has also yet to begin the regulatory process to introduce feedgas or fuel gas to additional liquefaction trains, unlike Sabine Pass, Corpus Christi and Cameron at a similar stage of commissioning. ExxonMobil chief executive Darren Woods said in November 2024 that the joint venture planned to bring the three trains into service in six-month intervals. Feedgas deliveries to the terminal averaged 342mn ft³/d in the 30 days ended 13 September, according to pipeline data, equivalent to about 40pc of Train 1's nameplate capacity. By Tray Swanson Output over 168 days after first LNG bn ft³ Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2026. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

Hormuz oversight meeting postponed: Update

14/09/26

Hormuz oversight meeting postponed: Update

Adds details throughout Singapore, 14 September (Argus) — A summit between eight Mideast Gulf littoral states to discuss the strait of Hormuz, scheduled for today, has been postponed, Oman's foreign minister said. The meeting was to take place in Salalah, Oman, between the foreign ministers of Iran, Iraq and the six members of the Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC) to address a proposal developed by Iran and Oman for safe passage of commercial vessels through the waterway. Oman's foreign minister Badr Albusaidi said the meeting was postponed "in the interests of consensus". The country's foreign ministry said the delay was "in order to prepare the appropriate conditions for constructive dialogue that contributes to achieving sustainable understandings that support the security of the region and its stability." The summit's buildup was not smooth. Drones originating in Iraq targeted Saudi Arabia's 7mn b/d East-West pipeline, forcing state-controlled Saudi Aramco to shut it down. Iraq is home to Iran-backed militia groups, which Riyadh said attacked several of its oilfields in the central and eastern Saudi Arabia earlier this year. Saudi Arabia has faced repeated attacks in recent weeks on energy infrastructure in its southern regions by the Yemen-based Houthi rebels, who are also supported by Tehran. Bahrain's ministry of foreign affairs said on 12 September it would not participate in the meeting, stating it "would not be a party to any collective meeting that includes Iran prior to the restoration of diplomatic relations." "The security and stability of the region cannot be built on turning a blind eye to aggressions, nor purchased by remaining silent on their consequences," it said, noting Bahrain has been subjected to attacks on infrastructure and civilian facilities, including the targeting of an ammonia tank, which "nearly led to comprehensive disaster." The targeting of the East-West pipeline further reflects that attacks on civilian and economic facilities "represent a present danger, not a bygone matter," the ministry said. Saudi Arabia's request The East-West pipeline, which moves crude from Saudi oil fields and processing facilities near the Gulf to the Red Sea port of Yanbu, has been Saudi Arabia's primary route for exporting crude since the start of the US-Iran war. The pipeline came under multiple attacks on 10 September , causing damage and injuring several people. The attacks probably targeted pumping stations that facilitate the flow of oil through the pipeline. Riyadh has provided no details of the damage or a timeline for restoring operations. Saudi Arabia issued no statements linking the attacks on its infrastructure to Monday's meeting, but Iran's foreign ministry spokesman Ebrahim Baghaei said Riyadh had requested the meeting in Oman be postponed, at least in part because of developments relating to the Houthis in Yemen. Baghaei denied any Iranian involvement in the attacks on the Saudi pipeline, attributing such suggestions to "those who wish ill on our region." Crude futures rose today. The front-month November Ice Brent contract rose to near $110/bl, up by nearly 5pc from the close on 11 September. By Prethika Nair and Nader Itayim Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2026. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

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