Sabine Pass, the world's largest LNG export terminal at 29.5 million tonnes per annum (mtpa), anchors a Cameron Parish complex that ships roughly two-thirds of Louisiana LNG — close to 40% of all US exports — with a fourth facility now under construction.

The Cameron Parish, Louisiana, complex sent its first cargo from Sabine Pass in 2016. Capacity at Sabine Pass now stands at 29.5 mtpa, the highest of any single LNG facility globally. Two more terminals operate within the parish. A fourth, Commonwealth LNG, started construction in May at a sanctioned cost of $13 billion.

How big is the Cameron Parish build-out?

Commonwealth, controlled by parent Caturus, will add 9.5 mtpa by 2030 — output Caturus says will heat six million homes. Across the parish's four terminals, Cameron stands to collect more than $4 billion in tax revenues over the next decade.

Tim Wyatt, president of Caturus, framed the expansion as a supply-economics story. "There is cheap, abundant supply here, while being a flexible, reliable, relatively low cost and transparent producer that flows to the places that need it the most," Wyatt said.

Feed gas reaches Cameron through pipelines from Louisiana and Texas production, with Marcellus and Utica molecules moving south from Pennsylvania. Louisiana ships 60% of all US LNG; Cameron handles two-thirds of the Louisiana volume.

What is the parish getting in return?

Cameron Parish, population approximately 4,700, has watched median household income rise from $59,555 in 2010 to $75,000 in 2024 — a 26% nominal increase. Parish council president Michael Fewell anchors the turnaround to LNG.

Fewell turned 16 the year Hurricane Rita destroyed or badly damaged more than 90% of parish homes in 2005, a $2.75 billion repair bill. "It looked like a war zone," Fewell said. Today his outlook differs sharply. "We are going to have more money than we need."

The trade-off is dredging. Tanker channels require constant deepening and widening. Roughly 15,000 cubic yards of dredge material spread beyond its permitted zone in a single incident last year. Fewell acknowledged the friction. "There is a lot of ship traffic and there's been some frustration, it's fully understood."

What is the European demand picture?

The US now supplies roughly two-thirds of Europe's gas imports, up from about a quarter in 2021, per the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEFEA), a global think tank. Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine and the subsequent push to replace Russian natural gas drove the initial step-change; this year's US-Israel conflict with Iran and disruption around the Strait of Hormuz tightened Qatari supply and redirected incremental demand to US Gulf exporters.

US LNG accounted for 57% of EU LNG inflows in 2025 on Kpler data cited by IEFEA. Susan Bourgeois, secretary of Louisiana Economic Development, said European buyers have moved to long-term offtake. "They want reliable relationships for their energy," Bourgeois said. "It's about dependability and predictability, that's what matters."

A 2025 US-EU trade deal commits Europe to $750 billion of American energy purchases over three years, covering LNG, oil and nuclear fuel. IEFEA forecasts EU LNG imports from the US could reach 80% by 2030 — roughly 115 billion cubic metres on the high case.

What does the dependency cost European industry?

The widening gap between US and European gas prices has reset industrial gas budgets. At InfraLeuna, a chemicals and plastics complex in central Germany, annual gas costs have climbed from €60 million pre-Ukraine to a projected €200 million this year, managing director Christof Guenther said.

"[Domestic] natural gas prices in the US are about 20 to 25% of the prices we are paying here," Guenther said. The Atlantic shipping leg and regasification premium amplify the spread.

German household electricity is 31% higher than before the Ukraine war; gas is up 74%, per Berlin-based Clean Energy Wire. UK regulator Ofgem puts household electricity 38% higher since mid-2021, with gas up 120%.

How exposed is Europe going forward?

Ana Maria Jaller-Makarewicz, an IEFEA researcher, sees a US–Europe import connection that now competes with Asia for the same cargoes. "Europe is now reliant on US LNG supplies, and competing with Asia for the same cargoes," Jaller-Makarewicz said.

The trade-off will tighten until Europe reduces gas demand, she added. Watch items: Commonwealth's path to first cargo in 2030; the IEFEA 80%-by-2030 forecast for EU LNG intake; and EU gas demand reduction targets that could re-balance the Atlantic basin.