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Venture Global Starts Up Calcasieu Pass LNG Plant Ahead of Schedule

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Calcasieu Pass LNG (courtesy Venture Global)

Published Feb 8, 2022 4:51 PM by The Maritime Executive

The new LNG liquefaction terminal at Calcasieu Pass, Louisiana has come online a year early, according to multiple sources.

Its backer, Venture Global, informed the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) of the facility's early startup in a recent letter. Venture Global had previously announced that the was scheduled to begin commercial operations in the first quarter of 2023, but it told FERC that it had started running on January 19. 

A newly-built LNG carrier, the Yiannis, is already berthed at the terminal's dock. Platts reports that it will likely depart on February 11, citing information from the local pilots' association. 

At full build-out, the Calcasieu Pass facility will have a capacity of 10 million tonnes per annum. About half of this output will be sold to Chinese state-owned enterprises, including 1.5 MTPA for CNOOC and 3.5 MTPA for Sinopec. 

The Sinopec deal, signed in November, also covers another 4.0 MTPA from Venture Global's Plaquemines LNG facility. It represents the largest single LNG supply deal ever signed by a US company, according to Venture Global, and will double exports of U.S. LNG to China. "Venture Global is proud to enter into this new and exciting long-term partnership with Sinopec, and soon become the largest U.S. LNG exporter to China," said Mike Sabel, Chief Executive Officer of Venture Global LNG.

In December, Venture Global announced plans to spend $10 billion on a fourth new LNG export terminal in Louisiana. It will be located adjacent to the existing Calcasieu Pass LNG facility. If approved by FERC, it will have a nameplate capacity of 20 MTPA, making it one of the largest plants of its kind in the United States.

“Venture Global has invested significantly in Louisiana’s economy, and I am proud to celebrate this exciting new project with them,” said Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards in a statement. “The CP2 facility in Cameron will create more than 1,000 new permanent jobs and thousands of construction jobs in the area, which will have a significant impact on our economy.