USA: Dominion shutting Cove Point LNG plant for maintenance

US LNG operator Dominion Energy is to shut down its Cove Point liquefied natural gas export terminal in Maryland for planned maintenance this week.

“The outage is scheduled to last about three weeks, contingent on weather and other conditions, and will consist of maintenance activities and inspections of equipment and systems involved in the production of liquefied natural gas,” Dominion said in a statement.

Work will be done during two 12-hour shifts each day and will involve about 600 contractor personnel, the statement said.

To remind, the Cove Point facility began producing LNG in March. The facility shipped its first commercial cargo of the fuel in April.

The $4 billion Cove Point facility has a nameplate capacity of 5.25 mtpa. It became the second US shale gas-fed LNG export facility following Cheniere Energy’s startup at Sabine Pass in Louisiana more than two years ago.

The LNG export facility produces the chilled fuel for ST Cove Point, the joint venture of Japan’s Sumitomo Corporation and Tokyo Gas, and for India’s GAIL under 20-year contracts.

LNG World News Staff