U.S. LNG Subdued by Maintenance

Written by Daniel Graeber for Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--Data show the volume of liquefied natural gas (LNG) leaving U.S. export terminals was subdued due to maintenance at Cheniere Energy Incorporated's (Houston, Texas) facility in Corpus Christi.

Data released Thursday from IIR Energy show the amount of natural gas feeding the Corpus Christi export terminal dropped to 1.7 billion cubic feet per day (Bcf/d), down about a half-billion cubic feet from earlier in the week.

"Corpus Christi has a three-day planned maintenance scheduled for April 22--24 at its Sinton compressor station, according to pipeline notices, with an expected impact of 0.4 Bcf/d," Maria Sanchez, a natural gas products and senior energy analyst at IIR Energy, wrote Thursday. "It's possible the pipeline moved the maintenance forward without updating the notice."

IIR Energy data show Corpus Christi was operating at around 75% of its nameplate capacity of 2.4 Bcf/d last week.

Cheniere in March said the first liquefaction unit at Stage 3 had been substantially completed. Once all seven liquefaction trains are completed at Corpus Christi, Stage 3 will have a capacity of about 3.3 Bcf/d. Subscribers to Industrial Info's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) Project Database can learn more by viewing the project report.

Natural gas production, meanwhile, is running at a healthy clip of around 105 Bcf/d, and export levels of LNG are closer to 16 Bcf/d, a good 2 Bcf/d higher than the average expected this year from the federal government.

Export levels may be subdued, however, during a seasonal lull in demand. Pipeline operators usually take advantage of this by using spring as a maintenance period. The Creole Trail pipeline, operated by Cheniere to feed its Sabine Pass terminal, is set for a 20-day maintenance period in early June that could curtail about 1.5 Bcf/d in feedgas.

Supported by its rich gas resources, the United States is the world leader in LNG exports. Those exports supported global energy security in the wake of the outbreak of war in Ukraine that saw LNG fill a void left by sanctions imposed on gas-rich Russia.

The International Energy Agency (IEA) said it expects poor market fundamentals, however, to lead to lower global gas demand this year, with demand expected to drop 2% from 2024 levels.

"While international cooperation on gas supply security has expanded since the recent energy crisis began, greater efforts are needed from responsible producers and consumers, who should strengthen their collective efforts to reinforce the architecture for safe and secure global gas supplies," said Keisuke Sadamori, the IEA's Director of Energy Markets and Security.

U.S. President Donald Trump has worked to advance LNG even further since returning to office for a second, non-consecutive term in office in January. New terminals are expected, but companies need a special license to deliver LNG to countries without a U.S. free-trade agreement, and it's unclear how his aggressive tariff policies would impact those arrangements.

Industrial Info Resources (IIR) is the leading provider of industrial market intelligence. Since 1983, IIR has provided comprehensive research, news and analysis on the industrial process, manufacturing and energy related industries. IIR's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) helps companies identify and pursue trends across multiple markets with access to real, qualified and validated plant and project opportunities. Across the world, IIR is tracking over 200,000 current and future projects worth $17.8 Trillion (USD).