July 31 (Reuters) - Sempra Infrastructure, a unit of

U.S. energy company Sempra ( SRE ), will supply 1.5 million

tonnes of liquefied natural gas (LNG) per year to Japan's

biggest power generator JERA in a 20-year deal, it said on

Thursday.

The LNG would be supplied from Sempra's ( SRE ) Port Arthur LNG

Phase 2 development project in Texas, it added.

The United States is the world's largest exporter of LNG,

shipping 11.9 billion cubic feet per day of the supercooled fuel

in 2024, and has gained further momentum following President

Donald Trump's lifting of a moratorium on new export permits in

January.

Sempra Infrastructure CEO Justin Bird said the company

remains focused on advancing its Port Arthur LNG Phase 2

development project to a final investment decision.

The project has received all its key permits and is expected

to include two liquefaction trains capable of producing about 13

Mtpa of LNG, the companies said in a statement.

In May, Sempra's ( SRE ) Port Arthur Phase 2 project in Texas had

won U.S. approval to export liquefied natural gas to markets in

Europe and Asia.

Trump has pushed allies like Japan, which is the world's

second-largest LNG buyer, and South Korea to buy U.S. oil and

gas while threatening tariffs on their exports.

The Port Arthur LNG Phase 1 project, which is currently

under construction, is expected to achieve commercial operation

in 2027 and 2028 for trains 1 and 2, respectively.

U.S. liquefied natural gas producer NextDecade had

also signed a 20-year deal in late May to supply JERA with 2

million tonnes per annum of LNG from its Rio Grande project's

fifth liquefaction facility.