US LNG exporter Venture Global LNG has completed raising the roof on the first storage tank at its Plaquemines LNG export plant in Louisiana.
According to a statement by Venture Global, this project milestone was completed ahead of schedule and comes nine months after the project’s final investment decision (FID).
The company took a final investment decision in May last year on the first phase of the Plaquemines project with a capacity of 13.3 mtpa and the related pipeline. It also secured $13.2 billion in project financing.
This is the first tank of four in total for Plaquemines LNG and will be capable of storing 200,000 cbm of LNG.
McDermott’s unit CB&I previously won a contract from a unit of Venture Global to build two LNG storage tanks as part of the first phase.
The roof of the first tank weighs 900 tons and is 294 feet (89.6 meters) in diameter.
Air raising allows for better and safer access as well as a faster construction schedule, as the roof can be erected concurrently with the shell.
Venture Global said the tank dome was raised in 85 minutes using 0.3 psi of pressure underneath the roof to a height of 130 feet.
Eventually, the tank will have an inner tank made from 9 percent nickel alloy and outer wall and outer roof made from concrete, it said.