Energy Secretary Chris Wright says U.S. gas can support new Cameron LNG export project and rising domestic demand

Energy Secretary Chris Wright attended a groundbreaking at the Power Electra site in Cameron, Louisiana, for a proposed LNG export facility developed by the private company Cameron. During a subsequent on-site interview, Wright said the United States has ample natural gas to support both growing exports and rising domestic demand.

"Truly an amazing abundance," Wright said, describing how U.S. production has expanded since the shale revolution even as the number of drilling rigs has fallen. He said production has more than doubled since the era of roughly 1,200 rigs and that only modest additional drilling would be needed to materially increase export capacity.

Wright reported that U.S. exports are nearing record levels. "We're up to about 20 BCF a day of natural gas that we export," he said, and added that roughly "2 and a half BCF a day of export capacity" is coming online this year. He framed the primary near-term constraint as the capacity to move gas, pointing to export infrastructure and pipeline limitations rather than resource scarcity.

The reporter at the event identified the project developer as Cameron and noted the company has been working on the project for about 10 years; the groundbreaking occurred the same day as the interview. Wright said U.S. pipeline connectivity gives the country an advantage in supplying global markets, in contrast with nations that rely on shipborne imports.

No formal federal approvals or permitting actions were described in the interview, and Wright did not specify project timelines or regulatory milestones for the Cameron site. The remarks were given as commentary during a media interview at the groundbreaking event.