Cheniere Energy cuts intake at 2 US LNG plants by 1 bln cubic feet/day
HOUSTON, Sept 26 (Reuters) — The largest U.S. liquefied natural gas (LNG) producer, Cheniere Energy, on Tuesday reduced its combined feed gas intake at two of its plants by about 1 billion cubic feet per day (bcfd), according to data provider LSEG.
The combined reduction in gas usage from Cheniere’s Sabine Pass, Louisiana, and Corpus Christi, Texas, plants helped push overall U.S. feedgas consumption to a four-week low of 11.2 bcfd, the data showed.
Contributing to Tuesday’s drop was a maintenance shutdown at Berkshire Hathaway Energy’s 0.8-bcfd Cove Point, Maryland, plant and smaller reductions elsewhere.
A Cheniere spokesperson declined comment on its gas intake.
Though June 30, the U.S. regained its crown as the largest LNG exporter in the world, according to data from the U.S. Energy Information Agency (EIA), surpassing Australia and Qatar.
Sabine Pass intake fell on Tuesday by just over 350 million cubic feet per day (mcfd) to 3.9 (bcfd), from 4.2 bcfd on Monday, LSEG data showed.
At Corpus Christi, gas intake dropped 600 mcfd, to 1.64 bcfd on Monday and Tuesday, from 2.25 bcfd on Sunday, LSEG data showed.
Gas flows to the seven big U.S. LNG export plants have averaged 12.6 bcfd so far in September, up from 12.3 bcfd in August. That compares with a monthly record of 14 bcfd in April, according to LSEG.
Gas was trading around $13 per mmBtu at the Dutch Title Transfer Facility (TTF) benchmark in Europe and $15 per mmBTu at the Japan Korea Marker (JKM) in Asia.
(Reporting by Curtis Williams in Houston and Scott DiSavino in New York; Editing by David Gregorio)
Related Knowledge Center: Liquefied natural gas
Driven by plentiful natural gas produced from shale plays, the United States began exporting liquefied natural gas in 2016 when the Sabine Pass terminal in Louisiana opened and shipped its first cargo. Since then, additional capacity, or trains, have been added to Sabine Pass, and terminals have become operational in Cameron Parish, La.; Hackberry, La.; Cove Point, Md.; and Corpus Christi, Texas. The Energy Information Administration projects that U.S. LNG export capacity will reach 8.9 billion cubic feet per day (Bcf/d) by the end of 2019, making it the third largest in the world, behind Australia and Qatar. The tariff war with China has the potential to impact some final investment decisions for additional terminals in the coming months.