Biden administration approves more LNG exports

The Biden administration said Tuesday that it would issue orders that expand the amount of liquified natural gas (LNG) that it exports as Europe seeks to reduce its reliance on Russian gas.

The Energy Department said that two authorizations it issued would give two facilities the ability to export an additional 720 million cubic feet per day of natural gas. In the first half of last year, the U.S. exported an average of 9.6 billion cubic feet per day. 

The department said that its latest move would give every U.S. LNG export project the ability to export at full capacity. 

Russia supplied 40 percent of Europe’s natural gas last year. As the world has tried to isolate the Kremlin following its invasion of Ukraine, Europe’s dependence on the country for fuel has come into the spotlight. That has led to calls for the U.S. to expand exports of LNG. 

LNG is natural gas that has been cooled down to a liquid state so that it can be transported and stored. 

Climate advocates have raised concern about the fuel’s contribution to climate change. Reuters reported last week that a potential administration review of ways to increase LNG exports was shelved amid climate concerns.