QatarEnergy has announced the start of initial liquefied natural gas production at a strategic US export mega project, marking a key milestone at a time of severe global energy disruption caused by the ongoing US-Israel-Iran war.

On March 30, the Qatari energy company said the Golden Pass LNG facility in Texas has begun producing LNG from the first of its three trains, positioning the project to begin exports in the coming months. The development comes as the Gulf conflict continues to strain global energy markets, with blocked flows through the Strait of Hormuz and damage to key infrastructure pushing prices sharply higher and stoking global inflation risks.

Details: Per a press release issued by QatarEnergy, Golden Pass LNG has achieved “first LNG” production from the initial phase of its 18 million tons per annum export facility located in Sabine Pass, Texas. The project is a joint venture between QatarEnergy (70%) and ExxonMobil (30%). 

The development paves the way for sustained liquefaction operations and the facility's first cargo, expected in the second quarter of 2026. The project was approved in 2019 with an investment of more than $10 billion and forms a central part of QatarEnergy’s broader $20 billion push into the US energy sector.