Tecnimont, the EPC arm of Italy's MAIRE group, has signed a front-end engineering design contract for Argent LNG's export facility in Louisiana, USA, the company announced. The scope includes support to the permitting process for the planned liquefaction and export terminal on the US Gulf Coast.

The award follows an agreement first announced in January between the two companies. Tecnimont has now converted that earlier arrangement into a signed FEED contract, adding permitting assistance to the engineering work.

Argent LNG is developing the export facility in Louisiana, positioning the project to tap growing demand for US liquefied natural gas from buyers in Europe and Asia. The FEED phase and permitting support will determine the project's configuration and timeline ahead of any final investment decision, which Argent LNG has not yet taken.

For MAIRE, the contract extends the group's footprint in the US LNG sector. Tecnimont brings its track record in gas monetization and liquefaction projects to a developer still working through the pre-FID stages of its Louisiana plan.

The project remains at the front-end stage. Sanction depends on completion of FEED, progress through the federal and state permitting process, and Argent LNG lining up offtake and financing. No capacity figures, cost estimates, or construction schedule accompanied the contract announcement.

The watch item: permitting milestones for the Louisiana site and any subsequent move from FEED toward a final investment decision.