USA LNG | 49
The first commercial production and export of LNG from Cameron LNG could start in April (image: Mitsui & Co)
US LNG: here comes the second wave A raft of FIDs suggests 2019 will be a big year for the US LNG export sector
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NG giants ExxonMobil and Qatar Petroleum announced on 5 February an FID on the US$10Bn Golden Pass LNG. Built originally to handle imports from Qatar, Golden Pass LNG will now add liquefaction facilities to handle exports from the US. The Golden Pass FID is just the first of many proposed US projects jockeying for position to catch the second wave of US LNG export projects with start-up dates in the mid-2020s. Who else will be in the second wave? Before we answer that, it is important to note that the first wave of US LNG exports has not even fully hit yet.
US LNG – the first wave
Thus far, only three US LNG export projects in the first wave of US LNG
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projects are online – Cheniere’s Sabine Pass T1-5, Dominion’s Cove Point Maryland facility and Cheniere’s Corpus Christi T1. Sempra’s Cameron LNG will be the fourth project online with the first cargo expected in just a few weeks. Kinder Morgan’s Elba Island LNG, notable for the fact that it is not located on the US Gulf Coast but rather in Savannah, Georgia, is commissioning and expected to be online by the end of Q1 2019, making it the fifth US LNG export project. Freeport LNG T1 is expected online in the first half of 2019 and the US EIA projects that US LNG export capacity will reach 8.9 Bcf/d by the end of 2019, making the US the third largest exporter in the world behind Australia and Qatar. Freeport Train 3 and
LNG World Shipping | March/April 2019