The once-destroyed community that's now a global energy giant
📰 source: bbc_business · 💼 business
cameron parish, louisiana — a coastal county nearly wiped out by hurricane rita in 2005 (90%+ homes destroyed, $2.75bn damage) — is now a global lng powerhouse. the world's largest export terminal, sabine pass, started shipping in 2016, processing 29.5 million tonnes a year. two more terminals operate, and a fourth, commonwealth lng ($13bn), broke ground in may and is expected to produce 9.5 million tonnes annually by 2030. over the next decade, cameron parish expects $4bn in tax revenue from its lng facilities.
median household income climbed from $59,555 in 2010 to $75,000 in 2024. the us is now the world's top lng exporter, with louisiana handling 60% of it — two-thirds from cameron. europe, desperate to replace russian gas after the ukraine war, now gets about two-thirds of its gas imports from the us. but european buyers face higher costs: natural gas for german households is up 74% since 2021, and eu household electricity bills have risen 30%. cameron parish's president says the boom lets local youth stay for high-paying jobs — a future unimaginable after the hurricane.
why it matters: a devastated community becomes an lng hub, reshaping global energy flows and europe's dependence on u.s. gas.
source: bbc_business
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