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Secretary Wright Discusses LNG Exports and Natural Gas Abundance on CNBC's Power Lunch, May 15, 2026

May 15, 2026 · U.S. Department of Energy · 0:05:53

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What happened

Energy Secretary Chris Wright sat for a CNBC Power Lunch interview at the groundbreaking of a new LNG export facility in Cameron, Louisiana, posted May 15, 2026, according to the Department of Energy. Asked whether the U.S. has enough natural gas for both LNG exports and AI power demand, Wright said, as he stated the figures, that 20 years ago the U.S. ran 1,200 rigs drilling for natural gas and was the world’s largest importer, while today it runs about 120 rigs — 90 percent fewer — has more than doubled production, and is the world’s largest exporter; doubling gas exports, he said, might take only about 25 additional drilling rigs. He said, as he stated it, that he was not worried about oversupply because natural gas is the fastest-growing energy source in the world and receiving capacity is roughly twice export capacity.

On the Strait of Hormuz, Wright said, as he stated it, that traffic would be flowing again sometime that summer at the latest, that the situation would end with Iran’s nuclear program dismantled and free flow through the strait, and that if Iran continued, as he put it, to hold the world economy hostage, the U.S. military would force the reopening, though a deal was preferable. He also said, as he stated it, that the world could be producing a couple million barrels per day more oil within a couple of years given smarter U.S. policy and engagement with allies.

Why it matters

Wright’s interview states the administration’s abundance case for LNG-led energy policy and attaches a dated prediction — Hormuz traffic flowing by summer 2026 at the latest — to the Iran standoff, making it a checkable marker in the energy record.

Scoreboard watch

Wright’s statement on May 15, 2026, that traffic through the Strait of Hormuz would be flowing again sometime that summer at the latest, as stated in the interview, is a dated, checkable claim flagged for the scoreboard editor. No verdict is published from this page.

Sources: U.S. Department of Energy, “Secretary Wright Joins CNBC’s Power Lunch - May 15, 2026”, 2026-05-15 (official upload, embedded above; published 2026-05-15). Transcript via Supadata (private research store, paraphrased and attributed, not republished). All figures and characterizations as stated by the speakers.