Shell’s LNG Canada achieves first LNG

“LNG Canada has safely achieved its first production of liquefied natural gas (LNG) and remains on track to load first cargoes by the middle of 2025,” the spokesperson said.

The spokesperson did not provide further details.

LNG Canada is Canada’s first large LNG export facility.

One of the largest private investments in Canadian history, the plant will initially produce 14 million tonnes per annum (mtpa) LNG for export.

With a proposed Phase 2 expansion, Shell and its partners plan to double the terminal’s capacity to 28 mtpa.

Besides operator Shell, other partners in the project include Malaysia’s Petronas, PetroChina, Japan’s Mitsubishi Corporation, and South Korea’s Kogas.

Contractor JGC Fluor is constructing the first phase of the project.

Middle of 2025

Last month, Shell’s finance chief, Sinead Gorman, said during the company’s earnings call that the company remains on track to deliver the first LNG cargo from its export terminal in Kitimat in the middle of this year.

Shell CEO Wael Sawan also noted during the call that the first train will start up, and “then there’s a lag until you get to the second train.”

This was followed by the arrival of the 173,400-cbm LNG carrier, Maran Gas Roxana, in Kitimat with a cargo of LNG from Australia.

The cargo was used for the start-up and commissioning process in advance of LNG Canada’s operations.

Recently, there have been reports on LNG carriers heading to Kitimat to pick up some of the first cargoes produced at the LNG Canada facility.

This includes the 174,000-cbm LNG carrier GasLog Glasgow, chartered by Shell, and the 174,000-cbm Puteri Sejinjang, chartered by Petronas.

GasLog Glasgow was located on Sunday in the North Pacific Ocean, and it appears to be heading to Kitimat, according to its AIS data provided by VesselsValue.

On the other hand,  Puteri Sejinjang is expected to arrive in Kitimat around July 6.