The US Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has approved the construction of Venture Global's proposed $8.5 billion Plaquemines liquefied natural gas export facility in Louisiana.

Ferc also approved the Gator Express natural gas pipeline system to deliver feed gas to the terminal, which has a nameplate capacity of 20 million tonnes per annum.

The commission attached to its authorisation a range of conditions, including facility staff training and filing additional information, that were recommended in the final environmental impact statement for the terminal which was issued earlier this year.

The approval comes two months after the facility was originally supposed to receive its authorisation, as the commission has been working with only three of its five seats filled since Cheryl Lafleur--the most senior member of the panel--departed in July. Though Ferc can still operate with three members, critics say it may not run as efficiently without a full complement.

Venture Global recently took a final investment decision on its $5 billion Calcasieu Pass facility, also in Louisiana. The company is also planning a third facility, Delta LNG, in the state.

In a statement confirming the Ferc authorisation, Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards said Venture Global has become an "important participant" in the state's LNG industry.

"With multi-billion-dollar investments on both the eastern and western edges of coastal Louisiana, Venture Global is well-poised for success as the natural gas industry continues to expand here," Edwards said.

The company has previously said it would take an FID and start construction on Plaquemines LNG by the end of the year.

LNG

Plaquemines LNG gets Ferc green light