Driftwood LNG construction to start this summer

Tellurian’s Driftwood LNG project in Louisiana is expected to start in the summer of 2020.

Speaking to Reuters, the co-founder of US LNG developer Tellurian Charif Souki said that the company aims to begin construction of its LNG project in Louisiana this summer.

Driftwood LNG export project in Louisiana is worth $16.8 billion. It is to answer the growing need for additional liquefaction capacity, as countries like China and India shift power generation away from coal-fired plants, and the demand for the fuel rises worldwide.

Driftwood was delayed together with numerous projects in North America over the past two years, as customers were unwilling to sign long-term deals needed to finance the projects while natural gas prices plunged.

The pandemic caused gas prices in Europe and Asia to drop to record lows below $2 per million British thermal units (mmBtu), while US gas prices fell to their lowest in 24 years.

Souki said that global LNG demand is on track to increase by around 200 million tonnes over the next seven years. Global LNG demand hit a record high of 360 million tonnes in 2020.

The first phase of Driftwood is expected for operation in 2025 and will produce about 16.5 million tonnes per annum of LNG, equivalent to about 2.2 billion cubic feet per day of natural gas.