December 13, 2023 [LNG Prime]- US LNG exporter Venture Global LNG has completed raising the roof on the fourth and final storage tank at its Plaquemines LNG export plant in Louisiana.
Venture Global announced the completion of this milestone in a short social media post on Monday.
The firm completed raising the roof on the first tank in February, the second tank in April, and the third tank in September.
This means Venture Global completed raising the roofs on all four LNG tanks in less then 10 months.
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.
Venture Global previously said the roof of the first tank weighs 900 tons and is 294 feet (89.6 meters) in diameter.
Air raising allows for better and safer access as well as a faster construction schedule, as the roof can be erected concurrently with the shell.
Eventually, the tank will have an inner tank made from 9 percent nickel alloy and outer wall and outer roof made from concrete, it said.
Venture Global took a final investment decision in May last year 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 this 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 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.
Venture Global hopes to start exports of LNG from the plant as part of the commissioning phase as soon as late 2024.
The company recently said that it expects the commissioning process for the Plaquemines LNG terminal to take about 24 months.
On the other hand, the company expects commissioning process for its Calcasieu Pass to take up to 36 months due to equipment issues.
Energy giants Shell and BP recently asked the U.S.-EU Task Force on Energy Security to intervene in a dispute with Venture Global over the launch of commercial operations at the latter’s Calcasieu Pass plant.
BP also filed a complaint with the US FERC against Venture Global saying the latter is “not being transparent about the status” of its Calcasieu Pass facility.
Calcasieu Pass produced its first LNG on January 19, 2022, moving from FID to LNG production in 29 months, and the first commissioning cargo left the facility on March 1.
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