Freeport LNG seeks additional export volumes authorization

Freeport LNG has requested permission from the United States Department of Energy to increase its export volumes from its terminal currently under construction near the city of Freeport, in Brazoria County, Texas. 

According to the notice issued on Thursday by the DOE, Freeport LNG is looking to amend the previous export authorizations to non-FTA countries.

In its latest request, Freeport LNG is seeking permission to engage in additional long-term, multi-contract exports of domestically produced LNG in a volume up to the equivalent of 125 billion cubic feet per year of natural gas (0.34 Bcf/day) for a period of 20 years.

This additional volume of LNG is incremental to the equivalent of 146 Bcf/yr of natural gas (0.4 Bcf/day) and to the equivalent of 511 Bcf/yr of natural gas (1.4 Bcf/day), Freeport LNG is currently authorized to export.

Through the amendment, Freeport LNG seeks to align the authorized export volumes of LNG to non-FTA countries from its liquefaction project with the optimized increased production capacity design of the facilities approved by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.

Approximately 13.2 mtpa of the production capacity of Freeport LNG’s three liquefaction trains have been contracted under use-or-pay liquefaction tolling agreements (LTAs), according to the company’s website.

The first two trains are on schedule to commence operations by September 2018 and February 2019, respectively. The third train is expected to be in operation approximately six months following the second train, or, in August 2019.

Freeport LNG is also planning to add a fourth natural gas liquefaction unit to the three trains already under construction. This expansion would allow the export of an additional five million tons of LNG per year, increasing the total export capability of all four trains to over twenty million tons of LNG per year.

DOE noted that the protests, motions to intervene or notices of intervention, as applicable, requests for
additional procedures are to be submitted by November 7.

LNG World News Staff