U.S. License Allows Morocco to Import LNG via Mexico

Morocco remains legally eligible to receive liquefied natural gas from a project that would route U.S.-origin gas through Mexico, according to a U.S. Energy Department document dated Aug. 31, 2026.

The authorization covers NFE Altamira LNG and allows natural gas produced in the United States to be exported to Mexico. The gas would then be liquefied at a floating facility off the coast of Altamira, in Tamaulipas state, before being shipped by sea to Morocco and other countries covered by qualifying free-trade agreements with Washington.

The project’s licensed capacity totals 158 billion cubic feet annually. Morocco’s inclusion rests on the U.S.-Morocco free-trade agreement, which took effect on Jan. 1, 2006. U.S. authorities classify the agreement among those requiring national treatment for natural-gas trade.

The latest action does not create a new authorization. The Energy Department said the original approval dates to March 3, 2023, under Order No. 4960. The recent measure reaffirms that the license remains in force while authorities process an expected change in ownership of the parent company, New Fortress Energy.