Golden Pass LNG received approval for exporting cargoes, according to the US Department of Energy. 

The project, jointly backed by Qatar Petroleum, ExxonMobil and ConocoPhillips, already had a permit to export up to two billion cubic feet per day of LNG, but only to a limited number of countries that have free trade agreements with the US. 

The permit just issued, though, allows Golden Pass LNG to export cargoes to non-free trade agreement countries, which include the largest consumers in Asia such as Japan and China.