First LNG Tanker Arrives Near Venture Global's Louisiana Calcasieu Plant

A tanker, the Yiannis, arrived near Venture Global LNG's Calcasieu Pass liquefied natural gas (LNG) export plant in Louisiana on Monday and could be first vessel to pick up a cargo at the facility, according to data from Refinitiv.

Last week, Venture Global sought permission from federal energy regulators to load the first commissioning cargo from Calcasieu Pass.

Venture Global asked the U.S. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to authorize the first cargo before Feb. 9 so the company could load that cargo on or after that date.

Officials at Venture Global were not immediately available to comment on whether the Yiannis would be the first tanker to pick up LNG at the facility.

Calcasieu started producing LNG around Jan. 19.

Calcasieu has been pulling in feed gas from pipelines since around August, according to Refinitiv data, as the company tests equipment.

Venture Global is installing 18 modular liquefaction trains configured in nine blocks at Calcasieu to produce about 10 million tonnes per annum (MTPA) of LNG, equivalent to about 1.5 billion cubic feet per day of natural gas. Analysts estimate the plant cost about $4.5 billion.

Federal regulators have approved the commissioning of at least three blocks so far.

In total, Venture Global has about 70 MTPA of LNG export capacity under construction or development in Louisiana, including the 10-MTPA Calcasieu Pass, 20-MTPA Plaquemines, 20-MTPA Delta and 20-MTPA CP2.

Venture Global has already started early site work on the $8.5 billion Plaquemines project, which analysts expect to start producing first LNG in 2024.

Venture Global has entered long-term agreements to sell LNG to units of several companies around the world, including China National Offshore Oil Corp (CNOOC), China Petroleum and Chemical Corp (Sinopec), Royal Dutch Shell PLC, BP PLC, Edison SpA, Galp Energia SGPS SA and Polish Oil and Gas Co (PGNiG).

(Reporting by Scott DiSavino Editing by Mark Potter)