Golden Pass LNG Terminal LLC, a liquefied natural gas export project on the Texas coast sponsored by ExxonMobil Corp. and state-owned Qatar Petroleum (QP), is asking 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 in service on a staggered schedule, with Train 1 slated to come online “no later than September 30, 2025”; Train 2 by March 31, 2026; and Train 3 by Nov. 30, 2026.

Golden Pass spokesperson Renwick DeVille said the timeline submitted to FERC does not constitute a delay; the project remains on track to place Train 1 into service in 2024 as previously projected when ExxonMobil and QP reached a positive financial investment decision in February*.

Representing the Golden Pass export project and the affiliated Golden Pass Pipeline LLC, counsel Kevin M. Sweeney told FERC in a letter this week that developers will need more time to finish the project due to long waits for key federal approvals.

FERC issued an order authorizing construction for Golden Pass in late 2016, setting a Dec. 21, 2021, deadline to place the project into service.

“Due to delays in obtaining the necessary authorizations both from the Commission” and the Department of Energy (DOE), “and the resulting uncertainty, substantial additional time was required to finalize the necessary arrangements,” Sweeney wrote.

Sweeney asked FERC to extend the in-service deadline to Nov. 30, 2026.

Golden Pass is also seeking an extension of its global export authority through the DOE, Sweeney said. The DOE granted Golden Pass global export authority in 2017, four-and-a-half years after the project solicited the government for approval.

Golden Pass is one of a number of Gulf Coast exporting projects looking to secure supply for the next wave of U.S. LNG. Management expects the terminal, underway in Sabine Pass on the upper Texas coast, to be second only to neighboring facility Cheniere Energy Inc. in gas buying when operations ramp up.

Golden Pass expects to acquire up to 2.6 Bcf/d for the three-train, 15.6 million metric tons/year project. Golden Pass is adjacent to Cheniere’s Sabine Pass export facility, now aiming for six trains. Sempra Energy’s proposed Port Arthur LNG project is slated to be next door.

The Golden Pass project is designed to add export capabilities to the existing LNG terminal and regasification facility, which is located about 10 miles south of Port Arthur in Jefferson County, TX.

The Golden Pass Pipeline project would add compressor stations to the existing pipeline to supply 2.6 Bcf/d of gas to the terminal.

*Clarification: An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated that the dates submitted to FERC reflect a delay in the project schedule. Golden Pass LNG still expects to begin service in 2024; the timeline in the company’s FERC filing reflects the expectation that Train 1 will start up no later than Sept. 30, 2025. NGI regrets the error.