Venture Global's Share Purchases and LNG Expansion Amid Regulatory Meetings in 2025
In March 2025, Pender and Sabel, founders and majority owners of Venture Global with combined ownership over 80%, each purchased nearly 1.2 million shares shortly after meeting with senior White House officials. The initial public offering (IPO) of Venture Global was priced around $24 per share, valuing the company at about $58.2 billion, with insiders’ paper gains reported at roughly $24 billion per founder at that time.
On March 6, Venture Global announced an $18 billion expansion of its Plaquemines Parish LNG terminal. Attendees at the announcement included Energy Secretary Chris Wright, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, and Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry. Between March 10 and March 14, shares were bought while the stock traded around $9.37; by March 14, each founder held just under 1.2 million shares, valued at about $12 million. Secretary Wright granted an export license on March 19 for CP2, a 28 million tonnes per year project aimed at expanding LNG exports to Europe, including Germany.
Pender made one more purchase on June 26, acquiring 1,226 shares. Since the IPO, Venture Global’s stock has fallen; by mid-November 2025, the price was about $7.90, valuing the company at roughly $19.6 billion. Sabel and Pender still held a combined 2.37 million shares worth about $19 million.
Venture Global has secured long-term deals with Greece and Germany. The firm operates amid industry warnings from the International Energy Agency about an LNG oversupply and faces exposure to volatile market swings. Additionally, Venture Global lost a $1 billion arbitration case against BP. Lobbying by individuals connected to the company totaled approximately $860,000 in 2024 and about $810,000 in 2025, according to OpenSecrets. Venture Global stated that share acquisitions complied with SEC rules and that their timing was unrelated to meetings or regulatory decisions. White House officials have denied any misconduct related to these events.
