The latest development comes after Golden Pass achieved its first production from the first of three LNG trains on 30 March 2026.
QatarEnergy marked its first liquefied natural gas (LNG) export cargo from the Golden Pass LNG project in Texas, United States, on Thursday, weeks after achieving the first production from the site.
The LNG cargo from the project—QatarEnergy’s largest investment in the U.S.—was loaded on board the Qatari company’s Al-Qaiyyah LNG carrier, recently built in South Korea with a capacity of 174,000 cubic metres.
“This is a significant industry milestone that marks a new chapter in QatarEnergy’s global efforts to meet rising LNG demand and ensure reliable supplies to international markets,” Saad Al-Kaabi, Qatar’s Minister of State for Energy Affairs, said in a press release.
Golden Pass LNG is a joint venture between QatarEnergy at 70 percent and ExxonMobil at 30 percent. Both companies had announced their final investment decision of more than $10bn (around QAR 36.53bn) for developing the Golden Pass LNG export project in February 2019.
“The Golden Pass LNG project is one of the single largest investment decisions in the history of the U.S. LNG sector, affirming QatarEnergy’s position and reputation as a reliable provider and a trusted partner of choice that drives growth and development around the world,” Al-Kaabi, who is also QatarEnergy’s President and CEO, added.
The latest development comes weeks after Golden Pass achieved its first production from the first of three LNG trains on 30 March 2026.
In October 2022, QatarEnergy and ExxonMobil agreed to independently offtake and market their respective proportionate equity shares of LNG from the project.
Under that arrangement, QatarEnergy Trading, a wholly owned subsidiary of QatarEnergy, took responsibility for offtaking, transporting and trading the Qatari company’s 70 percent share.
Global LNG exports from the project are expected to begin in the second quarter of 2026, according to QatarEnergy.
The Golden Pass project also falls under plans announced by QatarEnergy in 2018 to invest $20bn (around QAR 73.07bn) in the U.S. energy sector.