Cheniere closes Sabine Pass LNG due to Hurricane Laura

Cheniere has suspended operations at its Sabine Pass liquefaction plant in Louisiana as Hurricane Laura approaches the US Gulf Coast.

The 25 mpta facility has currently five operational trains and is adding an additional unit boosting the total capacity to 580 LNG cargoes per year.

“After consulting with our team of weather, safety, operations and security teams, Cheniere management has decided to activate emergency plans to evacuate personnel and temporarily suspend operations at Sabine Pass as a result of the approaching hurricane,” Cheniere said in a statement on Tuesday.

Hurricane Laura is gaining strength in the Gulf of Mexico and could become a major Category 3 storm.

This means maximum sustained winds of 115 miles per hour (185 kilometers per hour).

The US National Hurricane Center expects Laura to crash into the Louisiana and Texas coasts on Wednesday evening.

“There is a danger of life-threatening storm surge with large and dangerous waves producing potentially catastrophic damage from San Luis Pass, Texas, to the Mouth of the Mississippi River, including areas inside the Port Arthur Hurricane Flood Protection system,” the NHC said.

This surge could reach up to 30 miles inland from the immediate coastline in southwestern Louisiana and far southeastern Texas.

The affected area hosts two other LNG export plants besides Cheniere’s Sabine Pass terminal.

Sempra’s Cameron LNG said it plans to operate its Louisiana plant at “a reduced rate”, according to a Reuters report.

The LNG operator will only keep a “ride-out team of essential operations personnel.”

Freeport LNG does not plan to shut to its plant in Texas, saying that adjustments would be made if necessary.