9th US LNG Plant Begins Operations in Race to Replace Production Lost in Iran War

ExxonMobil and QatarEnergy’s jointly owned Golden Pass plant in Texas is liquefying natural gas as of March 30 and expected to begin exporting within weeks.The Sabine Pass liquefied natural gas plant owned by Cheniere Energy in Cameron Parish, La., on Feb. 10, 2025. Brandon Bell/Getty Images3/30/2026|Updated: 3/30/2026Golden Pass LNG is operational and expected to start exporting liquefied natural gas (LNG) within weeks to energy-starved East Asian markets devastated by Iran’s destruction of a significant portion of Qatar’s export capacity.Before the attack, Qatar exported enough LNG to meet 20 percent of global gas demand.