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August gas flows at US LNG plants declined even as Cameron LNG began service

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August gas flows at US LNG plants declined even as Cameron LNG began service

Daily natural gas flows feeding U.S. LNG export terminals rose again in August as the Sempra Energy-led Cameron LNG plant entered commercial service, becoming the fourth major facility to reach that milestone, but the total flows to these terminals were down for the month compared to July.

The Louisiana terminal's first of three trains started shipping cargoes to world markets under its tolling agreements Aug. 12 after having exported a number of commissioning cargoes since late May and receiving an in-service authorization from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission in July.

In the lead up to Cameron LNG coming fully online, August feedgas flows rose and fell during the facility's final tests, peaking at 503 MMcf/d on Aug. 9, according to pipeline flow data from S&P Global Market Intelligence. Flows climbed to reach 614 MMcf/d during the last three days of the month.

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Cameron LNG is expected to be able to export 12 million tonnes per annum of LNG, or about 1.7 Bcf/d, when all three trains are online in 2020.

Total gas deliveries in August to Cameron LNG, Dominion Energy Inc.'s Cove Point LNG terminal in Maryland, and Cheniere Energy Inc. export terminals in Louisiana and Texas were 135 Bcf/d, down from 157 Bcf/d in July.

Gas flows to Cheniere's Corpus Christi terminal climbed throughout August to peak at 1.54 Bcf/d on Aug. 28, the day the facility received permission from FERC to start commercial operations on its second liquefaction train.

Total deliveries to the Sabine Pass facility oscillated through Aug. 18 because Cheniere took trains 3 and 4 offline for scheduled maintenance work, but feedgas flows to the terminal returned to the 2 Bcf/d to 3 Bcf/d range for the remainder of the month.

The single train at Cove Point is capable of producing 5.25 mtpa of LNG, or roughly 0.8 Bcf/d.

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Kinder Morgan Inc. subsidiaries asked FERC on Aug. 9 for permission to enter the first of a cluster of small liquefaction trains into commercial service at the Elba Island terminal in Georgia, but the agency has not yet granted the authorization. The facility had another setback early in September when Hurricane Dorian forced Kinder Morgan to temporarily evacuate workers.

Meanwhile, Freeport LNG Development LP began production at its Texas liquefaction and export terminal Aug. 19. Commercial operations are expected to begin in September.