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Gas flows to Sabine Pass LNG plunged in January after freeze cut water supply

Natural gas flows to Cheniere Energy Inc.'s Sabine Pass LNG export terminal ended January at the lowest level since September 2017 after water supply to the Louisiana facility was curtailed in response to a freeze that caused residential pipes to burst nearby.

Combined scheduled deliveries to the terminal from Cheniere Creole Trail Pipeline LP, Natural Gas Pipeline Co. of America LLC and Transcontinental Gas Pipe Line Co. LLC dropped as low as 0.65 Bcf on Jan. 19, down from 3.29 Bcf on Jan. 16, according to SNL Energy pipeline flow data. Overall flows ended January at 80.5 Bcf, a sharp drop from more than 95 Bcf the month before.

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Risa Carpenter, a spokeswoman for nearby Port Arthur, Texas, said the city had to slow the flow of water to the LNG terminal to just 600 gallons per minute after reports of more than 50 water main leaks and more than 200 calls for burst water pipes at residences in one day. On Jan. 26, the city ramped up water supply to Sabine Pass, which requires large amounts of water to operate, to about 2,200 gallons per minute. Carpenter said that level might be "a little above normal."

Cheniere spokesman Eben Burnham-Snyder said the company "safely managed the situation" and all customers received their LNG deliveries.

SNL Image

Gas flows to Sabine Pass for January were the lowest since a fourth liquefaction train entered service mid-October, which often sent deliveries to more than 3 Bcf/d. Each of the four liquefaction trains in service at Sabine Pass is capable of producing 4.5 million tonnes per annum of LNG, or roughly 0.59 Bcf/d of gas using the U.S. Department of Energy's method for conversion. A fifth train is under construction but is not expected to come online until August 2019.

Sabine Pass is the first major U.S. LNG export terminal in the Lower 48. Dominion Energy Inc.'s Cove Point is expected to enter service in early March. The developer on Jan. 31 announced that the Maryland terminal has begun producing LNG, and SNL Energy pipeline flow data for the facility showed a climb in gas flows beginning that day.

SNL Image

Sabine Pass used an average of about 70% of its total capacity on all three lines. Utilization on Transco dropped to zero for five days during the month.

The maximum capacity Creole Trail can provide to Sabine Pass is about 1.7 MMDth/d, while NGPL can provide about 593,000 Dth/d. A Transco expansion, connected to the terminal through Cheniere's East Meter gas transportation project, is expected to provide 1.2 MMDth/d of additional firm transportation service at full capacity from Transco Station 65 in St. Helena Parish, La., to Sabine Pass.

To view operational statistics on interstate natural gas pipelines, go to SNL Energy's Pipeline Summary Page. To view natural gas operational flow data for receipt or delivery points, go to SNL Energy's Operational Capacity by Point Page. To view more details about the Sabine Pass Liquefaction Project, go to its SNL Energy Natural Gas Development Project Page.