U.S. Allows Ethane Exports to China Again--'Just Don't Unload'

June 30, 2025--Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--In late May, the U.S. began restricting ethane exports to China, requiring an export license to do so. Primarily affecting the two largest U.S. ethane exporters, Energy Transfer LP (Dallas, Texas) and Enterprise Products Partners LP (Houston, Texas), those companies have now been allowed to load and export ethane to China or a "Chinese 'military end user,' wherever located," but there's a catch--they can't unload the ethane cargoes without further permission from the U.S. federal government.