Booming U.S. LNG Export Industry Gets Another Boost In Louisiana

BusinessEnergyBooming U.S. LNG Export Industry Gets Another Boost In LouisianaByDavid Blackmon,Senior Contributor.Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. David Blackmon is a Texas-based public policy analyst/consultant.Follow AuthorMay 17, 2026, 08:22am EDT--:-- / --:--This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more.This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more.Chris Wright, US energy secretary, speaks at the expected site of Commonwealth LNG in Cameron, Louisiana, US, on Friday, May 15, 2026. With investments for additional export capacity, US LNG exports are set to more than double from current levels by the early 2030s, according to the US Department of Energy. Photographer: Mark Felix/Bloomberg© 2026 Bloomberg Finance LPAmerica’s LNG export industry got another boost on May 15 when owners of Commonwealth LNG said they were green-lighting the buildout of a facility in Cameron Parish designed to ship 9.5 million tons of LNG per year. Houston-based Caturus, an LNG developer backed by private equity giant and majority stakeholder Kimmeridge, and Abu Dhabi-based Mubadala Energy, reached final investment decision (FID) for the project whose total investment will come to $12.5 billion.Rapid Growth In U.S. LNG Export SectorEnergy Secretary Chris Wright and Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry were on hand for an announcement ceremony at the development site, where Wright touted the project as the latest addition to the rapid expansion of the U.S. LNG export sector."We’re continuing to ramp up U.S. Natural gas exports. It’ll be a record again this year, it was a record last year," Wright said in an interview with CNBC. "We’re up to about 20 BCF a day of natural gas that we export, which is roughly double the second and third largest exporters of natural gasses, Qatar being one of those two countries." The point about Qatar is key to this discussion since its LNG volumes - roughly 20% of global supply prior to Feb. 2...