FT: US rivals brace for battle over LNG permits

The rise of the US as a global gas exporter is gathering speed. Until May, the government had granted just one permit for worldwide exports of liquefied natural gas. It has approved three more in the past five months.

This is setting the stage for an epic battle, pitting would-be exporters against companies planning to use the gas in the US, and rival export projects against each other.

The Cove Point plant in Maryland, owned by Dominion, the US energy group, last week became the fourth project to be awarded a licence to sell to countries that do not have a trade agreement with the US. There are 20 more projects with applications for such licences waiting in the queue.  MORE