May 07, 2024 [LNG Prime]- US LNG exporter Venture Global LNG expects to start LNG production at its Plaquemines LNG export plant in Louisiana in mid-2024.

“Given the ongoing progress with construction of the terminal, Plaquemines LNG currently
expects that it will begin producing LNG in mid-2024,” Venture Global Plaquemines LNG said in a filing with the US Department of Energy dated April 22.

Venture Global is seeking authorization from the DOE to export previously imported LNG from its terminal under construction in Plaquemines Parish in volumes of up to the equivalent of 600 million cubic feet of natural gas over a two-year period starting upon issuance of the authorization.

Plaquemines LNG seeks this authorization to allow it to re-export natural gas imported to the terminal as part of the cool-down of terminal facilities during the start-up of those facilities, it said.

The firm said it has determined that the optimal method for this part of the start-up of its terminal facilities is to import foreign sourced LNG by vessel and it may receive up to three LNG carrier cargoes for this purpose.

It expects that all of its LNG imports will occur this year, as part of its start-up cool-down operations.

Plaquemines LNG requested that DOE/FECM grant this authorization for both FTA countries and non-FTA countries by July 22, 2024 to ensure that it will be in place prior to any potential export of LNG that Plaquemines LNG plans to import as part of its start-up operations.

Two phases

Venture Global took a final investment decision in May 2022 on the first phase of the Plaquemines project with a capacity of 13.3 mtpa and the related pipeline. It also secured $13.2 billion in project financing.

In March last year, the company sanctioned the second phase of the Plaquemines LNG export plant in Louisiana and also secured $7.8 billion in project financing.

The full project, including the second stage, will have a capacity of 20 mtpa coming from 36 modular units, configured in 18 blocks.

Venture Global’s Plaquemines LNG plant received in August last year its first liquefaction modules.

Baker Hughes ships these modular units to the US from its manufacturing facility in Italy, the same as the firm did for Venture Global’s Calcasieu Pass project.

In December, Venture Global LNG completed raising the roof on the fourth and final storage tank.

The firm completed raising the roof on the first tank in February, the second tank in April, and the third tank in September.

McDermott’s unit CB&I won a contract from a unit of Venture Global to build the first two LNG storage tanks as part of the first phase while the second phase includes two tanks as well.

The company previously said it expects the commissioning process for the Plaquemines LNG terminal to take about 24 months.

Currently, the US exports LNG via Cheniere’s Sabine Pass and Corpus Christi terminals, Sempra Infrastructure’s Cameron LNG terminal, Venture Global’s Calcasieu Pass, the Freeport LNG facility, the Cove Point LNG facility, and the Elba Island terminal.

Besides Plaquemines LNG Phase I, Cheniere’s Corpus Christi Stage 3 is expected to begin LNG production and load first cargoes by the end of the year.

In 2025, energy giants QatarEnergy and ExxonMobil plan to place the first two trains of the three-train Golden Pass LNG export facility.

LNG terminals and fleet

Venture Global’s Calcasieu Pass LNG export terminal in Louisiana has a capacity of 10 mtpa.

Calcasieu Pass produced its first LNG on January 19, 2022, and the first commissioning cargo left the facility on March 1.

However, Venture Global has not yet declared the start of commercial operations.

The company requested more time in February this year from the US FERC to complete the commissioning of the facility, while some of its customers are opposing this.

Long-term customers of the Calcasieu pass facility include Shell, BP, Edison, Repsol, Galp, and PGNiG.

Energy giants Shell and BP and other firms are in an dispute with Venture Global over the launch of commercial operations at the facility and previously launched arbitration proceedings against Venture Global.

Venture Global is also working on its CP2 LNG plant which will be located next to its existing Calcasieu Pass liquefaction plant, and the Delta LNG project.

In addition to LNG export terminals, Venture Global has nine LNG carrier on order in South Korea, further advancing the integration of its business across the entire LNG supply chain.

According to Venture Global, six of these vessels will have a cargo capacity of 174,000 cbm and three a cargo capacity of 200,000 cbm.

The company said it will start taking deliveries of these ships later this year.

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