Venture Global gets OK from FERC to move gas to more Calcasieu Pass LNG units

Federal energy regulators gave Venture Global LNG the approval to introduce natural gas to additional liquefaction facilities at its Calcasieu Pass LNG export terminal in Louisiana, advancing the developer's efforts to start up the terminal in 2022.

The Jan. 27 authorization by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission will allow the developer to flow gas to the second of nine liquefaction blocks (CP15-550). Each of the blocks contains two LNG trains for a total of 18 modular LNG trains at the 10-Mt/y facility in Cameron Parish, La. FERC approved the introduction of feedgas to units of the first liquefaction block earlier in January.

A Venture Global spokesperson did not immediately respond to questions Jan. 27 about the developer's timeline for the start of LNG production.

Calcasieu Pass will be the country's seventh major LNG terminal in operation once the facility comes online. It is expected to drive up total feedgas demand by U.S. export facilities; it has been pushing record levels since late 2021 amid a global gas supply crunch.

Total feedgas deliveries to the six major operating U.S. LNG export terminals were about 12.8 Bcf/d on Jan. 26, close to record highs seen in recent months, according to S&P Global Market Intelligence pipeline flow data.

Jan. 27 pipeline flow data reported by Venture Global showed small delivery volumes of less than 30 MMcf/d to Calcasieu Pass from the TransCameron Pipeline LLC system, based on nominations for the morning cycle, according to S&P Global Platts Analytics.

The U.S. Energy Information Administration recently forecast that total U.S. LNG peak production capacity will reach 13.9 Bcf/d by the end of the year, meaning the country would become the biggest global LNG producer with all of its seven terminals running at full capacity. Besides Calcasieu Pass, Cheniere Energy Inc. is working to bring a sixth train at its flagship Sabine Pass LNG terminal in Louisiana fully online after shipping the first LNG cargo from the facility in late 2021.

An eighth U.S. LNG export plant, the Golden Pass LNG Terminal under construction in Texas, is on target to start up in 2024. It would increase the country's peak export capacity to an estimated 16.3 Bcf/d, according to the EIA.

S&P Global Market Intelligence and S&P Global Platts are owned by S&P Global Inc.