HOUSTON, May 30 (Reuters) -

U.S. regulators gave Venture Global ( VG ) permission on

Friday to proceed with some construction activities at its

proposed CP2 LNG facility in Louisiana, according to a Federal

Energy Regulatory Commission document.

Venture Global ( VG ) is proposing to build a 20 million metric

tons per annum plant at Calcasieu Pass. FERC approved the

plant's entire construction last week.

If constructed, CP2 would be the largest LNG plant in

the U.S., helping the country remain the leading exporter of the

superchilled gas and making Venture Global ( VG ) the country's largest

LNG exporter.

The plant has been at the center of a fight between the

energy sector and environmentalists seeking to limit future LNG

projects on the U.S. Gulf Coast.

Venture Global ( VG ) has not yet given the project the final

financial go-ahead, but its CEO Mike Sabel said in an earnings

call this month that the company had already spent $5 billion on

the project and raised another $3 billion to continue work.