The Cove Point LNG facility in Maryland, operated by Berkshire Hathaway’s unit BHE GT&S, has started its annual maintenance on Saturday.
BHE GT&S said in a notice that “the Cove Point liquefaction facility is undergoing its annual maintenance.”
“This maintenance only affects the export liquefaction facility and does not impact the provision of FERC jurisdictional services,” it said.
The Cove Point terminal operator did not reveal how long the maintenance would last.
Last year, the plant’s maintenance started on September 20 and took about three weeks to complete.
BHE GT&S has a 25 percent stake in Cove Point LNG and shares ownership of the facility with Dominion Energy (50 percent) and Brookfield (25 percent).
Cove Point LNG recently shipped its 300th cargo since it started commercial liquefaction operations in April 2018. It consists of an LNG import and export terminal in Calvert County, Maryland, and associated pipeline facilities.
The plant has a storage capacity of 14.6 billion cubic feet and a daily sendout capacity of 1.8 bcf, or about 5.25 million tons of LNG per year coming from one liquefaction unit.
Cove Point LNG also plans to add a single small liquefaction unit to liquefy boil off gas (BOG) to satisfy the increased LNG customer market demand as its existing liquefaction system operates at full capacity.
US LNG exports to Europe surged this year as European countries look to reduce reliance on Russian pipeline gas and boost energy security.
According to data by the US Department of Energy, most of this year’s Cove Point LNG cargoes landed in Europe as well.
The Cove Point facility produces LNG for ST Cove Point, a joint venture of Japan’s Sumitomo Corporation and Tokyo Gas, and for India’s Gail under 20-year contracts.