Venture Global's proposed expansion of the Plaquemines LNG export terminal in Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana, could move through federal permitting faster under the energy emergency declared by President Donald Trump, according to an Associated Press report.

The White House declared the energy emergency on Jan. 20, 2025, in Trump's first day in office. The order directs federal agencies to identify emergency permitting pathways for energy infrastructure, and LNG export projects on the Gulf Coast rank among the candidates for expedited review.

Plaquemines LNG began producing LNG in December 2024 from its first commissioning train. The facility sits on the west bank of the Mississippi River, roughly 20 miles south of New Orleans. The existing sanctioned project comprises 36 modular trains across two phases. Venture Global has filed with federal regulators for an expansion that would add capacity adjoining the current site.

The AP reports that the expansion would make Plaquemines one of the largest LNG export facilities in the world if approved and built. The company has not yet taken a final investment decision on the expansion phase, and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has not issued a construction permit for it. The proposed expansion therefore remains at the permitting stage, separate from the sanctioned phases already under construction and commissioning.

The emergency declaration has drawn legal challenges from environmental groups, who argue the administration is overstepping statutory permitting requirements. Opponents of the Plaquemines expansion have raised concerns about air quality, wetlands impacts, and hurricane exposure at the low-lying riverbank site. Litigation outcomes could affect how quickly any expedited review survives court scrutiny, analysts note.

Venture Global also operates the Calcasieu Pass terminal in Cameron Parish, Louisiana, and holds additional expansion plans along the Gulf Coast. The company went public in January 2025, listing on the New York Stock Exchange.

The timing matters for global gas balances. Plaquemines' sanctioned phases already rank among the largest greenfield LNG builds underway globally, and incremental US export capacity weighs on Atlantic basin LNG prices as new volumes reach the market from 2025 onward. Venture Global has said full production from the first phases will ramp through 2025 and 2026.

The watch items: FERC's handling of the expansion application under the emergency framework, the pending court challenges to the declaration itself, and Venture Global's FID timing on the expansion trains.