USA: Sabine Pass exports expected to hit record high in November

Sabine Pass Train 1 and 2 (Image courtesy of Cheniere)
Sabine Pass Train 1 and 2 (Image courtesy of Cheniere)

Cheniere’s Sabine Pass liquefaction terminal in Louisana, the first of its kind to ship U.S. shale gas overseas, is expected to export record high volumes of LNG in November.

The facility started exporting the chilled fuel in February this year. Since then it shipped 40 cargoes produced from two liquefaction trains with most of them landing in Latin America followed by Africa, Asia, and Europe.

The latest data from the U.S. Department of Energy shows that monthly Sabine Pass exports were the highest in August with 8 cargoes leaving the facility.

Sabine Pass exported six cargoes of LNG so far in November.

“With one more vessel currently loading at the terminal, the total number of cargoes exported so far in November will stand at 7, totaling approximately 24 Bcf,” the Energy information Agency said in its weekly natural gas report issued on Thursday.

According to the EIA, one more vessel is scheduled to arrive at the terminal in the next few days. “With almost two weeks remaining in November, the export volumes are likely to continue to increase,” the agency said.

Ship tracking data compiled by LNG World News shows at least one more tanker heading to the Sabine Pass plant. With this cargo, Sabine Pass shipments would total nine in November.

The U.S. LNG export boom is still in its early phase as there are only two liquefaction trains in operation in the lower 48 states.

However, things will change once more Sabine Pass trains are online and production starts from the other projects currently being developed along the Gulf Coast.

The U.S. is expected to become the world’s third-largest LNG supplier by 2020 with an export capacity of 60 million mt coming from five export terminals.

 

LNG World News