Cheniere Energy's Sabine Pass LNG export terminal in Louisiana is scheduled to receive a new high of 45.7mn cf (1.3mn³) of gas today as it liquefies its first commissioning cargo.
The facility has received about 237mn cf of gas since flows began on 26 September. A typical LNG cargo is equivalent to about 3 Bcf, so it likely has produced less than a tenth of the first cargo. Cheniere has not said where that ship is likely to go.
Sabine Pass receives gas from the Creole Train pipeline, which is connected to various other regional pipelines. Flows to Sabine Pass were negligible on 26-30 September, averaging 1,000 cf/d. They increased to an average of 651,000 cf/d in October, 3.1mn cf/d in November, and 12.3mn cf/d so far in December.
The previous daily high of 12.6mn cf was recorded on each of the previous two days.
Sabine Pass is expected to export its first commissioning cargo in early 2016 and start commercial operations from the first train in March 2016. Each of the five trains being built at Sabine Pass will have peak capacity of 5mn t/yr, equivalent to 690mn cf/d of gas, and baseload capacity of 4.5mn t/yr. Trains 2-5 are scheduled to start operating successively from June 2016 to December 2018.
BG has contracted for 3.5mn t/yr of capacity from train 1, but Shell will acquire that capacity if its proposed buyout of BG is approved by regulators. The acquisition is expected to be completed next year.
