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According to a filing, the regulator approved the commissioning of the block with nitrogen on April 1.
This is the first liquefaction block of the second Plaqumines LNG phase.
In February, Venture Global received approval from FERC to introduce natural gas to the ninth liquefaction block at the Plaquemines LNG terminal as part of the plant’s commissioning process.
FERC granted the commissioning of the liquefaction train system block 1 in August 2024.
Venture Global recently also received approval from FERC to boost the capacity of its Plaquemines LNG terminal in Louisiana to 27.2 mtpa.
The company took a final investment decision on the first phase of the Plaquemines project with a capacity of 13.3 mtpa and the related pipeline in May 2022.
In March 2023, the company sanctioned the second phase of the Plaquemines LNG export plant in Louisiana and also secured $7.8 billion in project financing.
The full project, including the second stage, features 36 modular units, configured in 18 blocks.
Each train has a capacity of 0.626 mtpa.
Venture Global is targeting a COD (commercial operations date) for the Plaquemines project in the fourth quarter of 2026 for Phase 1 and in mid-2027 for Phase 2.
Plaquemines LNG expansion
In addition to these two stages, Venture Global has begun the pre-filing process at FERC for a brownfield expansion of its Plaquemines LNG terminal.
The project will be comprised of 24 LNG trains and certain related infrastructure expected to produce “at least 18.6 mtpa.”
Venture Global said it has requested an “accelerated approval timeline to reflect the brownfield status and repeat design nature of the facility’s modules and key equipment.”
“We believe our first brownfield expansion project has the potential to be highly accretive and capital efficient due to its ability to leverage significant existing infrastructure developed during Plaquemines Phase I and Phase II,” the company said.
Venture Global is targeting mid-2027 for a final investment decision and “18-to-24-month path to first LNG post-FID.”