Washington, 17 November (Argus) — The US administration is unveiling an initiative to promote natural gas demand and infrastructure in emerging economies to help US LNG exporters.

The administration wants "to make sure that the next gas-fired power plant, the next LNG import facility or the next gas pipeline will be built using American innovation and a ‘made-in-the-USA' label," Trade and Development Agency (TDA) acting director Thomas Hardy said today. The agency will expand its partnership with the US natural gas industry to generate new LNG exports through the development of gas-related infrastructure in countries that have LNG import terminals or are considering building one, Hardy said.

The independent agency for decades has been involved in helping LNG infrastructure developers in other countries, counting technical assistance to the 2.9mn t/yr Klaipeda terminal in Lithuania and the 1.5mn t/yr Costa Norte terminal under construction in Panama among its most successful projects.

But the administration is seizing on the agency's mission to highlight President Donald Trump's "energy dominance" vision for the US, with strong support for exports of oil, natural gas and coal.

"When it comes to exporting LNG, the US is open for business," energy undersecretary Mark Menezes said. The administration is working to help foreign customers to get access to abundant US natural gas resources, he said today, at the launch of the initiative at the US Chamber of Commerce in Washington, in cooperation with industry group LNG Allies.