Venture Global LNG is almost ready to start producing liquefied natural gas at its Calcasieu Pass export project in Louisiana, less than three years since it started building the plant.
The US LNG firm is seeking approval from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to start commissioning of the “LNG modules Block 1 and the south LNG tank”, according to a filing dated October 22.
It is requesting authorization “no later than October 29, 2021.”
LNG Prime reported last month that the project had started early commissioning activities.
Venture Global already received approvals from FERC to introduce feed gas to the gas turbine generators, as well as to supply liquid nitrogen to the air separation unit
The next major step is to introduce feed gas to the liquefaction units.
The Calcasieu Pass project will produce about 10 mtpa of LNG from 18 modular units configured in 9 blocks.
Venture Global gets Calcasieu Pass modular trains from Baker Hughes’ manufacturing facility in Italy.
The firm also said in a filing to FERC in March that it could start first exports from the LNG facility by the end of this year, with full operations planned in mid-2022.
Once operational, the Calcasieu Pass project would become the seventh large LNG export facility in the US.
Plaquemines LNG
Besides this project, Venture Global recently said it had started works to prepare the construction site for its planned Plaquemines LNG project in Louisiana.
Plaquemines LNG would deploy Venture Global’s liquefaction trains 19 through 36, identical to the 18 trains currently being delivered and installed at Calcasieu Pass.
In addition, Venture Global recently revealed it had signed huge LNG supply deals with Sinopec and its unit Unipec.
Two 20-year deals with Sinopec are for volumes from Plaquemines while one 3-year deal is with Unipec for supplies from Calcasieu Pass.