(The Center Square) – The developers of an LNG export plant in Cameron Parish announced Friday that the project is officially moving forward, with financial backing from an assortment of global energy firms, sovereign wealth funds and pension fund managers seeking to secure American fuel supplies for overseas markets.
The Commonwealth LNG facility, planned on a 400-acre site on the west bank of the Calcasieu Ship Channel near the Gulf of Mexico, will be built by a group led by Houston-based natural gas producer Caturus.
Investors include Mubadala Energy, Abu Dhabi’s sovereign wealth fund, and the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board, while international energy corporations including EQT, Glencore and Aramco Trading signed multiyear supply agreements.
When fully operational, the Commonwealth facility will export up to 9.5 million tons of liquefied natural gas each year.
Unlike other export terminals along the Gulf Coast that buy gas from third-party middlemen, Caturus will control its own supply chain, producing natural gas on its Texas acreage and piping it directly to the Cameron Parish liquefaction plant.
“Global gas demand is unquestionably accelerating and Caturus is positioned to be a differentiated leader across the value chain from upstream production to LNG export,” said Caturus Chief Executive Officer David Lawler.
The project survived a federal permitting pause during the Biden administration, a court-ordered review of the plant’s potential nitrogen dioxide emissions in 2024, and a late-2025 Louisiana district judge’s ruling that temporarily voided a coastal use permit over cumulative environmental impacts and the destruction of threatened eastern black rail habitat.
The investors behind the project finalized the deal without requesting local property tax exemptions, guaranteeing that millions in new tax revenue for parish schools and infrastructure projects will flow immediately to local governments.
“We wish to thank the Trump administration, Secretary Wright and the Department of Energy, Governor Jeff Landry, U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson and all those who have recognized just how impactful Commonwealth will be for advancing U.S. energy leadership into the future while generating tremendous value for local communities in Louisiana,” said Ben Dell, chairman of Commonwealth LNG.
Approximately 2,000 jobs will be generated during peak construction, along with roughly 275 permanent technical positions when operations begin.
When Commonwealth received approval for shipments to non-free trade agreement countries in August 2025, U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright said expanding LNG exports strengthened America’s global energy leadership. “Finalizing this authorization moves us closer to delivering more American LNG to the world, advancing President Trump’s energy dominance agenda,” said Wright.
Construction work on the Commonwealth plant will begin immediately, with commercial operations expected to begin in 2030, according to Caturus.
