Offshore Texas oil export facility gets final federal approval

Offshore staff

WASHINGTON, DC – The Biden administration has approved the construction of an oil export terminal off the Texas coast that would be the largest of its kind in the United States.

The Sea Port Oil Terminal (SPOT) being developed off Freeport, Texas, will be able to load two supertankers at once, with an export capacity of two million barrels of crude oil per day.

The $1.8-billion project developed by Enterprise Products Partners received a deepwater port license from the Department of Transportation's Maritime Administration last week, the final step in a five-year federal review.

The SPOT project will be comprised of a fixed-platform port marine terminal located approximately 30 nautical miles off the coast of Freeport, Texas, in approximately 115 feet of water. The platform will be connected to the onshore storage facility by two 36-in., bi-directional pipelines. 

The offshore terminal could begin operations between the second half of 2026 and early 2027, Enterprise has said in previous statements.

04.14.2024