Cameron LNG Export Terminal In Louisiana Under Force Majeure 

The liquefied natural gas (LNG) export facility Cameron LNG in Louisiana has declared force majeure due to technical issues at the terminal, LNG traders told Reuters on Friday.  

The Cameron LNG export terminal, which began commercial operations earlier this year, has notified traders that force majeure had been declared on the facility. The impact on export LNG volumes is not clear yet, a trader told Reuters, adding that the force majeure was caused after a problem with a compressor was detected.   

Since it began operations in May this year, Cameron LNG has shipped eight cargoes of the super-chilled fuel, with the latest outbound cargo leaving on September 7, Reuters said, citing shipping data from Refinitiv.

Cameron LNG, operated by Sempra Energy, announced at the end of May that the first commissioning LNG cargo shipment departed from the Hackberry, Louisiana, liquefaction-export facility.  

Commercial operations at Train 1 began at the end of August. Train 1 includes a projected export capacity of 4 million tons per annum (Mtpa) of LNG, Cameron LNG says.

Commenting on the start of commercial operations, Farhad Ahrabi, CEO of Cameron LNG, said:

“It is truly a proud occasion for all of us and one that we will celebrate together as we continue working to achieve commercial operations on Trains 2 and 3 with the same rigor and world-class safety performance.”

Cameron LNG was the fourth U.S. LNG export facility placed into service since February 2016, following the trains at Sabine Pass LNG, Cove Point LNG, and Corpus Christi LNG. According to the EIA, monthly U.S. exports of LNG reached more than 4.0 Bcf/d for the first time in January 2019. 

Meanwhile, natural gas deliveries to U.S. LNG export facilities set a monthly record in July 2019, averaging 6.0 billion cubic feet per day (Bcf/d), which was 7 percent of the total U.S. dry natural gas production, EIA said last month, quoting data from OPIS PointLogic Energy.

The U.S. is now competing with Australia and Qatar for the world’s top LNG exporter crown.

By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com

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