US LNG exporter Venture Global LNG has received approval from US energy regulators to introduce natural gas to the first gas turbine generator (GTG) at the Plaquemines LNG terminal in Louisiana as part of the plant’s commissioning process.
The US FERC approved Venture Global Plaquemines LNG’s request from July 3 to commission and introduce hazardous fluids to GTG-1, it said in a filling dated July 10.
Venture Global said in April it expects to start LNG production at its Plaquemines LNG export plant in mid-2024.
The company also expects the commissioning process for the Plaquemines LNG terminal to take about 24 months.
Venture Global did not respond to recent requests by LNG Prime to comment on the commissioning of the facility.
Two phases
Plaquemines LNG phase one customers include PGNiG, now part of Orlen, Sinopec, CNOOC, Shell, and EDF, while phase two customers include ExxonMobil, Chevron, EnBW, New Fortress Energy, China Gas, Petronas, and Excelerate Energy.
Venture Global took a final investment decision in May 2022 on the first phase of the Plaquemines LNG project and the related pipeline.
The company also boosted the size of the first phase from 10 mtpa to 13.3 mtpa and it also secured $13.2 billion in project financing.
In March last year, the company sanctioned the second phase of the Plaquemines LNG export plant and secured $7.8 billion in project financing.
The full project, including the second stage, will have a nominal capacity of 20 mtpa coming from 36 modular units, configured in 18 blocks, Venture Global said.
It includes two 720 MW combined cycle gas turbine power plants, including additional 25 MW gas-fired aeroderivative turbines.
Per 10 mtpa, each 720 MW inside-the-fence CCGT power plant will use feed gas, together with boil off gas, to produce the power required to drive the electric motors of the liquefiers, according to Venture Global.
Worth mentioning here, the US Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) last month gave the green light to Venture Global LNG for its proposed Plaquemines LNG uprate project.
According to a FERC filing, PHMSA issued a letter of determination on June 21 for the project aimed at increasing the peak liquefaction capacity at the Plaquemines LNG terminal from about 24 mtpa to 27.2 mtpa.
Modules and tanks
Venture Global’s Plaquemines LNG plant received in August last year its first liquefaction modules.
Baker Hughes ships these modular units to the US from its manufacturing facility in Italy, the same as the firm did for Venture Global’s Calcasieu Pass project.
In December 2023, Venture Global LNG also completed raising the roof on the fourth and final storage tank.
The firm completed raising the roof on the first tank in February, the second tank in April, and the third tank in September.
McDermott’s unit CB&I won a contract from a unit of Venture Global to build the first two LNG storage tanks as part of the first phase while the second phase includes two tanks as well.