Shell launches second LNG Canada train

“LNG Canada is pleased to announce we are now producing LNG from our second of two LNG processing units, known as trains,” an LNG Canada spokesperson told LNG Prime late on Thursday.

This means that both Train 1 and Train 2 are now operational together, the spokesperson noted.

The spokesperson also said that a 22nd LNG cargo departed the LNG Canada facility on Thursday for export to global markets.

Shell CEO Wael Sawan said last week during the third-quarter earnings call that the start-up of the second train is actually “days away at the moment, and we look forward to the first LNG cargo from that.”

LNG Canada is a joint venture between Shell, Petronas, PetroChina, Mitsubishi Corporation, and Kogas.

MidOcean Energy, the LNG unit of US-based energy investor EIG, recently also entered into definitive agreements to buy a 20 percent interest in Petronas’ entities in Canada, including a stake in LNG Canada.

LNG Canada is Canada’s first large LNG export facility and the first phase of the project has a capacity of 14 mtpa.

With a planned Phase 2, which includes two new trains, the capacity will rise to 28 mtpa.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney recently named the planned second phase of the export project as one of the major projects the federal government would help fast-track.

LNG Canada has also recently sought approval from the Canadian energy regulator to increase its annual export capacity by 6.4 percent.