Golden Pass LNG Terminal

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Golden Pass LNG Terminal is an LNG import and export terminal in United States with units that are mothballed and in construction.

Location

Table 1: Location details

Name	Location	Coordinates (WGS 84)
Import Terminal	Sabine Pass, Texas, United States	29.761394, -93.919418 (exact)
T1	Sabine Pass, Texas, United States	29.761394, -93.919418 (exact)
T2	Sabine Pass, Texas, United States	29.761394, -93.919418 (exact)
T3	Sabine Pass, Texas, United States	29.761394, -93.919418 (exact)

The map below shows the exact location of the terminal:

Loading map...

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Project Details

Table 2: Infrastructure details

mtpa = million tonnes per year

Name	Facility type	Status	Capacity	Total terminal capacity	Offshore	Associated infrastructure
Import Terminal	import	mothballed	15.7 mtpa	N/A (multiple facility types)	False	–
T1	export	construction	5.2 mtpa	–	False	–
T2	export	construction	5.2 mtpa	–	False	–
T3	export	construction	5.2 mtpa	–	False	–

Table 3: Cost

Name	Facility type	Cost	Total known terminal costs
Import Terminal	import	–	US$9,999,999,999
T1	export	US$3,333,333,333	US$9,999,999,999
T2	export	US$3,333,333,333	US$9,999,999,999
T3	export	US$3,333,333,333	US$9,999,999,999

Financing

No financing data available.

Table 4: Project timeline

FID = Final Investment Decision, used by some developers to indicate a project will move forward

Name	Facility type	Status	Proposal year	FID year	Construction year	Operating year	Inactive year
Import Terminal	import	mothballed	–	–	–	2010	–
T1	export	construction	–	2019 (FID)	2019	2026	–
T2	export	construction	–	2019 (FID)	2019	2026	–
T3	export	construction	–	2019 (FID)	2019	2027	–

Ownership

Table 5: Ownership

Name	Facility type	Status	Owners	Parent companies	Operator
Import Terminal	import	mothballed	QatarEnergy [70%]; Exxon Mobil Corp [30%]	QatarEnergy [70.0%]; Exxon Mobil Corp [30.0%]	Golden Pass LNG Terminal
T1	export	construction	Golden Pass LNG Terminal LLC [100%]	Exxon Mobil Corp [30.0%]; QatarEnergy	Golden Pass Products
T2	export	construction	Golden Pass LNG Terminal LLC [100%]	Exxon Mobil Corp [30.0%]; QatarEnergy	Golden Pass Products
T3	export	construction	Golden Pass LNG Terminal LLC [100%]	Exxon Mobil Corp [30.0%]; QatarEnergy	Golden Pass Products

Background

The Golden Pass LNG Terminal is a joint venture formed by affiliates of three oil and gas companies: Qatar Petroleum (70%), ExxonMobil (17.6%) and ConocoPhillips (12.4%). The import terminal was completed in 2009, and is capable of importing approximately 2 billion cubic feet of natural gas per day through its dual berth ship docks.

In October 2012, Qatar's Golden Pass Products LLC received permission to export liquefied natural gas to nations that have free-trade agreements with the U.S. The partners will make a final decision about the proposed US$10-billion export project after receiving regulatory approvals. The investment would pay for liquefaction plants with 15.6 million metric tons of annual capacity to be added to the existing Golden Pass LNG import terminal in Texas. It will have three production trains with 5.2 million metric tons of annual capacity.

In 2016, the US Federal Energy Regulatory Commission issued a notice of schedule for environmental review of the Golden Pass LNG export project.

In April 2017 the terminal was cleared by the Department of Energy to begin exporting up to 2.2 Bcf/day of natural gas.

Construction is expected to begin after a final investment decision (FID). FID was reached by Qatar Petroleum and ExxonMobil in February 2019.

In October 2019, Golden Pass LNG Terminal LLC asked the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) for more time to place its facilities into service, citing permitting delays. Golden Pass told the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission that it expects to place its three trains into service on a staggered schedule, with Train 1 expected by September 30, 2025, Train 2 by March 31, 2026, and Train 3 by November 30, 2026.

In April 2022, the Biden Administration authorized additional exports of 0.35 Bcf/day (2.7 mtpa) LNG from Golden Pass's under construction facility. The facility would thereby be allowed to export at its peak nameplate facility of 18.1 mtpa (~6.03 mtpa per train), although its nominal nameplate capacity remained 15.6 mtpa.

In October 2022, QatarEnergy and ExxonMobil agreed to independently offtake and market their respective equity shares of LNG from the project.

In October 2022, QatarEnergy and ExxonMobil agreed independently to offtake and market their respective equity shares of LNG produced by the Golden Pass LNG export project. QatarEnergy Trading will be responsible for offtaking, transporting, and trading QatarEnergy's 70% share of the LNG produced by the project.

In May 2024, it was reported that Golden Pass LNG was encountering setbacks. Natural Gas Intelligence reported that timeline for launching production was slipping, as the developer faced labor shortages and construction issues. The lead contractor building the project, Zachry Holdings, also filed for bankruptcy citing challenges at the project, and said that it was seeking a "structured exit" from the project. According to a statement from Zachry Holdings, "As the project’s lead contractor, we have navigated significant challenges and disruptions stemming first from the COVID-19 pandemic and, more recently, international geopolitical issues. These unforeseen disruptions have resulted in significant financial strain while meeting targets and keeping the project appropriately staffed."

In June 2024, Golden Pass contractor Zachry Holdings laid off 4,430 of its more than 6,000 workers following its declaration of bankruptcy. The company blamed the layoffs on Golden Pass LNG, which it said refused to pay for the contractors services.

In April 2026, Train 1 of Golden Pass shipped its inaugural cargo.

Golden Pass carbon emissions revealed

In December 2020, drawing on internal ExxonMobil planning documents, an expose from Bloomberg revealed that the company's forecasts for direct carbon emissions at the Golden Pass LNG terminal would reach 3.1 million metric tons of carbon dioxide in 2025. This level of emissions, just from cooling and compressing methane on site, means that Golden Pass will have the same climate impact as a coal power plant. Transporting and burning the exported fuel would involve much higher carbon emissions.

Articles and Resources

Additional data

To access additional data, including an interactive map of LNG terminals, a downloadable dataset, and summary data, please visit the Global Gas Infrastructure Tracker on the Global Energy Monitor website.