Venture Global's Plaquemines LNG Phase 1 Begins Commercial Operations in the United States

en.Wedoany.com Reported - On October 31, Venture Global's Plaquemines LNG project Phase 1 in Louisiana, United States, officially entered commercial operations, initiating supply under long-term LNG sale and purchase agreements. Phase 1 has an annual capacity of 13.3 million tonnes, and took slightly more than 53 months from final investment decision to commercial operations, concluding an approximately 22-month commissioning and operational phase.

At 3:26 a.m. on November 1, the LNG carrier "Malaga Knutsen" departed from the Plaquemines export terminal loaded with the first long-term contract cargo purchased by Shell. Shell became the first customer to lift a long-term contract cargo after Phase 1 entered commercial operations. Other long-term agreement customers include Poland's Orlen Group, Sinopec, CNOOC Gas and Power Group, and Électricité de France (EDF), and these customers are expected to receive LNG cargoes successively under their respective long-term sale and purchase agreements.

According to documents filed by Venture Global with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, the Plaquemines LNG Phase 1 is designed with 12 liquefaction modules comprising 24 liquefaction trains in total, as well as 2 LNG storage tanks each with a capacity of 200,000 cubic meters, 2 loading berths, and 4 natural gas pretreatment units. The general contractor for Phase 1 is KZJV, responsible for the related engineering, procurement, and construction work.

During the commissioning phase prior to Phase 1 commercial operations, the Plaquemines project had already carried out LNG production and cargo exports, with the relevant cargoes sold through the spot market. With the commercial operations date now formally effective, Phase 1 long-term sale and purchase agreements have entered the supply performance stage.