First LNG Cargo Sent from Venture Global’s Export Facility in Louisiana

U.S. liquefied natural gas (LNG) export project developer Venture Global has successfully dispatched the first LNG cargo from its export facility located in Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana.

The first LNG shipment is en route to Germany’s EnBW aboard the LNG carrier Venture Global Bayou, marking a significant milestone with over 60 LNG cargos delivered from Venture to Germany since 2022. This achievement follows the commencement of production at the plant on December 14, less than two weeks ago.

One of the nine new LNG carriers under the company’s fleet, the 290-meter long Venture Global Bayou is a 174,000 cubic meter LNG carrier constructed at Samsung Heavy Industries (SHI) shipyard in Korea. Launched by Schulte Marine Group in October 2023, the carrier was delivered to SHI in July 2024.

“I am extremely proud of our team whose relentless execution has enabled Venture Global to continue to meet milestones at exceptional speed. In just five years, Venture Global has built, produced, and launched exports from two large-scale LNG projects, which has never been done before in the history of the industry,” said Venture Global CEO, Mike Sabel.

Operational Overview of Plaquemines LNG Facility

Upon full operation, the Plaquemines LNG facility is poised to be among the largest in the world, featuring 36 electrically-driven 0.626 million tonnes per annum (mtpa) liquefaction trains arranged in eighteen blocks, with a total nameplate capacity of 20 mtpa. The facility will store natural gas in four 200,000 cubic-meter (cbm) full containment storage tanks. Regulatory approvals for the plant’s commencement were obtained in July.

The final investment decisions for the terminal’s first and second phases were made in May 2022 and March 2023, respectively. The innovative configuration and construction approach will allow the terminal to produce and export LNG while ongoing construction and commissioning activities progress for the remaining trains and associated facilities.

Recent Developments with EnBW

Meanwhile, EnBW has recently entered into a sales and purchase agreement (SPA) with ADNOC for gas supply from its lower-carbon Ruwais liquefied natural gas (LNG) project, formalizing the heads of agreement (HoA) signed in May.