Sempra, GDF Suez deal underpins third train for planned export

Sempra Energy subsidiary Cameron LNG signed a commercial development agreement with a unit of GDF Suez SA to develop the remaining liquefaction train planned for the Cameron LNG terminal in Hackberry, La.

With this agreement of 4 million tonnes/year, Cameron LNG has commitments for the full 12-million-tpy capacity of planned liquefaction that will consist of three liquefaction trains. Construction is set to start in late-2013 with operations beginning in late-2016.

This is the third contract the company has executed to develop the plant. On Apr. 17, Cameron LNG announced the signing of two commercial development agreements with Mitsubishi Corp. and Mitsui & Co. Ltd. for the development of 8 million tpy.

The three agreements “bind the parties to fund all development expenses, including design, permitting, and engineering,” Sempra said, as well as to negotiate 20-year tolling agreements.

Liquefaction at Cameron LNG will use the terminal's existing facilities, including two marine berths capable of accommodating Q-Flex LNG carriers (210,000-216,000 cu m), three LNG storage tanks with combined capacity of 480,000 cu m, and vaporization capability for regasification of 1.5 bcfd.

Sempra anticipates incremental investment in the project to be about $6 billion.

Cameron LNG has obtained approval from the US Department of Energy to export up to 12 million tpy of domestically produced LNG from the Cameron LNG terminal to all current and future Free Trade Agreement countries. Authorization to export LNG to non-FTA countries is pending review by DOE.

Earlier this week, Cameron LNG also prefiled a request to initiate the US Federal Energy Regulatory Commission permitting process for the Cameron liquefaction project.

To date, only one planned US liquefaction project—Cheniere Energy Partners LP’s Sabine Pass Liquefaction LLC and Sabine Pass LNG LP—has received authorization from FERC to build liquefaction and export of US-produced gas.

The Sabine Pass LNG terminal, also in western Cameron Parish, plans four, 4.5-million-tpy LNG trains.