LNG production starts at Venture Global’s Plaquemines plant

U.S. liquefied natural gas (LNG) export project developer Venture Global has achieved first production at its second plant, situated in Port Sulphur, Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana.

According to the U.S. player, the start of production 30 months after the final investment decision (FID) for Plaquemines LNG makes the plant with a 20 mtpa nameplate capacity one of the two fastest greenfield projects to reach first production. The second is Venture’s first facility, Calcasieu Pass, which began producing in February 2022.

“Reaching first LNG at Plaquemines at this pace will enable the United States to remain the top exporter of LNG in the world. Between current and planned facilities, Venture Global is prepared to invest $50 billion in energy projects based in the United States which will create jobs, support local economies, strengthen the balance of trade and unleash much needed US LNG supply to our allies,” remarked Venture Global CEO and Co-Founder, Mike Sabel. 

Once fully operational, Plaquemines LNG stands to be among the largest facilities in the world, featuring 36 electrically-driven 0.626 million tonnes per annum (mtpa) liquefaction trains, configured in eighteen blocks. The natural gas will be stored in four 200,000 cubic-meter (cbm) full containment storage tanks. Several approvals for the plant to start operation were secured in July.

The FID for the terminal’s first phase was reached in May 2022 and for the second phase in March 2023. The developer says the unique configuration and construction approach will allow the new terminal to produce and export LNG while construction and commissioning continue for the remaining trains and associated facilities.

Since the incremental supply enables Venture to unlock additional U.S. LNG supply to the rapidly growing global market, the firm believes this is a valuable geopolitical asset for the country, especially during a time of “historically tight” global LNG markets and project delays. Furthermore, the firm says it is developing carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) projects at each of its LNG facilities.

Players such as PGNiG, Sinopec, CNOOC, Shell, and EDF signed up for gas from Plaquemines Phase 1, while ExxonMobil, Chevron, EnBW, New Fortress Energy, China Gas, Petronas, and Excelerate Energy inked gas purchase deals for the project’s Phase 2. Volumes from the terminal are also set to be delivered to the new Alexandroupolis LNG receiving terminal in Greece.

However, exports are currently on hold since Plaquemines is one of the LNG projects affected by the requirement to perform additional environmental reviews before the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) authorizes exports to non-free trade agreement (FTA) countries.