The U.S. Department of Transportation has officially approved a license for Texas GulfLink to build a deepwater crude oil export terminal off the Texas coast. This is a significant milestone it’s the first approval under the current administration’s new approach, potentially breaking a licensing logjam that has frustrated the industry for decades.
VLCCs Offshore Located about 30 miles off Brazoria County, Texas, the terminal is designed to move serious volume.
Capacity: Up to 1 million barrels of crude per day.
Infrastructure: A fixed platform, 45 miles of pipeline, and single-point mooring buoys.
The Advantage: It can berth two Very Large Crude Carriers (VLCCs) at once (loading one at a time). By loading these giants offshore, the project bypasses the congestion of inland ports.
This approval marks the end of a grueling six-year review process that started back in May 2019. Jeff Ballard, CEO of Sentinel (the parent company), called the permit a testament to the team’s “perseverance.”